One More Time
by Rave Luki
Summary: OMG I FINISHED! Buffy died once, we have Kendra, Kendra died and we get Faith. And when Buffy died again? We get the last person we'd ever suspect. Heads into season 7, but let's just say there's a new twist to things... . Please R
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or any characters from that show. I do however own the characters that I've made up so don't try to steal them without asking or I'll have to poke you with something very, very sharp. ^.^  
  
Author's starting notes: For the first few chapters the story might jump around a bit time wise so I'll say if the time changes drastically before the beginning of the chapter. The story will jump into season seven of Buffy and I'll try to use most of the story line from the real season, but for reasons that will eventually be obvious I won't be able to follow exactly. This is my first Buffy fic, and isn't the traditional type, but if you read it I'd appreciate all comments, even criticism if you feel like it. Last, but not least, I'm going to be writing another story while I work on this one so I might get the chapters out a little slow, (slow being maybe only once every two to three weeks, though I'm aiming for once everyone week or somewhere near there.)   
  
  
The Night Buffy Died, End of Season Five  
  
Chapter 1  
  
I watched as the sun began to slowly set over the horizon. The graves were outlined in the bright orange-red that made the sky so beautiful this time of night. The whole effect seamed more than a little Goth as the sky grew darker, but that was rather a rather common effect for one who spends as much time as I do in graveyards.  
  
Not that I minded in the least. These places kept me entertained, which was more than I could say about the human world, so I made the best of both. The fact that I lead a double life was something I tried to keep to myself for the most part. The humans I knew where too lost in their world of what's 'real' that they wouldn't understand my nightlife. My other friends, the not so living ones, they just can't think of a human as anything more than dinner.  
  
"Their loss," I muttered under my breath as I leaned back against one of my favorite tombstones. It was an old one, all the cool ones were. They just don't make them like they used to.  
  
I continued to watch the sunset until it was dark. Tonight was blessed with starlight, which was one of the many traits western Washington wasn't normally seen with, but it was getting closer to summer so it wasn't completely unheard of.  
  
The night itself was feeling just a little weird. That didn't make any sense. It was normal, or as normal as life gets for me, and I hadn't had a sense of impending doom for literally over a hundred years. I'd have to ask some of the guys about it, or at least if they felt anything. They were more likely to know if something was up anyway. Thinking of them, I realized that they should be showing up any time now.  
  
"Hey, Liz, where are you?" I heard the familiar shout and smiled to myself. The only thing predictable about my night life was when it started.  
  
With absolutely no grace I got to my feet, awkwardly and loud. The owner of the voice found me simply enough and greeted me with a smile. He didn't look like the classic vampire stereotype. There was no cape, no black hair, his skin wasn't even that pale. He was dressed quite casually in blue jeans and a hooded dark blue sweatshirt. He had plain brown hair and equally brown eyes. Despite his casual appearance you could still tell he was dangerous. Even the most non-believing human would know that he was a force to be reconded with. He carried that vibe with him as both a protective cloak and a threat to any idiot who might try to challenge him. But me, I wasn't scared. Even if he wasn't my best friend he couldn't kill me.  
  
"Good morning Zeke. What's up?" I said, greeting him cheerfully.  
  
He shrugged. "The normal Sunnydale crap. Something's up with the slayer again." There was just a tad of sarcasm in his voice but you could tell he really didn't care. He was a demon, if the world ended tomorrow he'd be okay. I wasn't so sure about myself, but nothing else had killed me yet. "So how was your day?" he asked.  
  
I shrugged. "I hate high school." I said simply. "I should have said I was a junior."  
  
"Hey, you're the one who chose to go back to school," Zeke pointed out with a laugh.  
  
I wrinkled my nose at him. He was right though, but going to school helped me keep up on the latest news and information. I had gone to high school at Puyallup High ten years ago. Things had changed a lot sense then, and I wanted to keep track of that change. So I chose one of the other high schools in Puyallup and enrolled as a sophomore. That gave me three years to catch up on everything. I would have just gotten a job and a house and changed my work every few years, but I was trapped in the body of a seventeen year old. I could pass for eighteen or nineteen, and I was mature enough to pull off twenty, but that was always a long shot.  
  
"So what do you want to do tonight?" Zeke asked, messing up my train of thought.  
  
"I don't know," I murmured, "Where's everyone else?"  
  
He shrugged. "Some event at the fair I think. They're out for a blood bath to say the least.   
I'd have joined them but we'd agreed to meet here tonight."  
  
"If you want we can join them," I said, not wanting to keep him from having fun.  
  
Zeke shrugged, "Nah, that's okay. There are a few parties we can crash, though. If you're up to it that is," He said. "After all it is a school night and we wouldn't want you falling asleep in class."  
  
"I'd sleep though most of it anyway," I said with a smirk. That wasn't completely true though. I didn't have to sleep, it was one of the good things about my curse, that and not eating, though not eating got annoying every now and then. Zeke didn't know that though, so I let him tease me.  
  
He just continued to grin and motioned me to follow him. "Some new vamps are passing through town, why they came here is a mystery to me, but they have a party going. There'll be some humans there but they're just for a snack."  
  
I considered what he said and not for the first time I wondered how the vamps managed to kill so many people and not draw attention to themselves. It helped that they didn't kill everyone they fed on, but there were still a lot of victims, and not many were made into vampires. The undead around here were trying to keep their numbers down. They didn't want to attract any humans who wanted to try to be slayers. Most were idiots, but every now and then you get groups who are actually a threat.  
  
The graveyard wasn't far from town, and it wasn't far from town. The graveyard was on a hill, and if you continued down it you could see the fair. The house was on the outskirts, not far away.  
  
The house was an old one. It had been abandoned for years, but the house was still owned by the same old couple that had lived in it when it was in decent shape. I had seen kids sneak in to smoke or on dares because the place did look haunted, but it had never been used for a party before. Most people avoided it. It was a great place for vamps though. If they found a way to spread the word there'd be plenty of people here to feed on. The music was already blaring as we walked into the house.  
  
Most the people in the front room where human. Two vampires were watching the door. They saw Zeke and recognized him as what he was. They motioned for him to go into a certain hallway. They saw me watching but thought nothing of it when Zeke draped his arm across my shoulder. If I was with him then I was safe. We went to the hallway and followed it to the end where a staircase led to the basement.  
  
"Ten bucks says these vamps aren't more than twenty years dead," I murmured softly.  
  
"No bet," he replied. I shrugged my indifference right before we walked into where the real party was.  
  
The basement was huge, more then big enough for the twenty some odd vamps and the couple of humans that they were passing around. Some of the vampires I recognized from around town. They greeted Zeke with as much friendship as vampires ever used, and some of them acknowledged me as well. The vampires that were sponsoring the get together looked at me as nothing more than dinner. I grinned at all of them, daring them to bite me. I couldn't stop them if they tried, but they would still get a less than pleasant surprise. Not to mention I had been right, all the vampires were young.  
  
"You must be Zeke," said a vampire that seemed to appear out of nowhere. I was used to them doing that, but this one still made it look spooky.  
  
Zeke nodded, "In the flesh. And who might you be?" There was a territorial note in his voice. The other vamp must have done something to intimidate him.  
  
The vamp already appeared to loose interest in him, and was now staring at me. "Just a friend--I think. You can call me Alucard." I glanced at Zeke to see if he caught the joke. I lost track of all the vamps who've said they were 'Alucard,' most were actually trying to use it as a name. This guy was keeping it as a joke. "So who's your human?" he asked.  
  
"She's also a friend," Zeke answered carefully, watching Alucard as he answered. I could tell that he was worried about something.  
  
Alucard shrugged but continued to stare at me. I stared back with a blank face. "Is she too close a friend for me to have a taste?" he asked softly. Even though I still felt tension between the two vampires Zeke Suddenly relaxed making it appear that nothing was wrong. The sudden shift in moods was felt by everyone though most of the vampires ignored it.  
  
Zeke smiled to himself and I knew what he was thinking. "If she doesn't mind than neither do I. I simply request that you don't force yourself on her." Zeke sounded completely sincere but every aspect of his appearance was mocking Alucard and he couldn't quite figure out why.  
  
So Alucard raised an eyebrow at me. I knew that Zeke meant what he said and what I decided would be fine with him, but his arm was still around me at a silent claim that I was his. Some people interpreted that fact as us being lovers or at least in a romantic relationship, but both assumptions were wrong. We were just good friends.  
  
"I don't care if you bite me," I said with complete honesty, and with my offer Zeke stepped aside. Alucard didn't look surprised at my statement, his expression hadn't changed at all, but there was no doubt in my mind that he had switched to being cautious and he didn't even know why.  
  
To emphasize my offer I pulled back my hair and tilted my head so that he'd have the best access to my neck. Alucard watched my every movement with curiosity and now stood looking at my exposed neck. Slowly he moved his hand to my neck. I recognized the spot he touched as he brushed two fingers against it.  
  
"You've only been bitten once," he stated. "I'd have thought Zeke would have tasted you more than that."  
  
I smiled to myself. It was true that Zeke bit me only once, but the scar he was looking at wasn't from him. It was from the first time I was bitten, back when I was normal. The vampire that gave me the scar was long dead, but I'd let Alucard think whatever he wanted for now.  
  
Alucard's bite came quick and I hadn't expected him to move so fast after his previous drawn-out movements. His teeth sank into my neck and locked in place as he pulled me closer to his body with an animal like fierceness. Gasping I grabbed onto his arm even as he pulled me closer simply for support. He tasted something he liked and clenched his teeth harder. I suffered through the pain. After all, I knew what was coming next.  
  
Alucard was expecting a flow of blood, and didn't know what to do when none came. I felt him hesitate for a second, then felt his body clench. The fact that he was in pain was obvious, just how much pain few could guess at. It started in the mouth and in literally under a second your whole jaw felt like it was on fire. Right after that your head explodes into a mass of aches and pains. Basically the worst headache that you've ever had. It continued to get worse until the vamp let go of me, and normally they let go right away. Alucard didn't. The pain grew steadily worse, for both of us, but he didn't let go.  
  
Nausea swept over me and I let go of Alucrad, but it had nothing to do with him. For a moment I was completely out of it, I couldn't think or move and if it wasn't for Alucard holding me to him I would have collapsed. Then just as soon as it had come the nausea passed and Alucrad let go.  
  
He all but threw me away from him as he took a few steps back while struggling to think through the remnants of pain that were screaming in his head. I understood his jerky movements because I was moving and feeling the same way. The only difference was that I had a hole in my neck. Even that was healing, though. It could just be the extra pain that I wasn't used to, but it seamed to be taking longer than normal to heal.  
  
I felt Zeke come and grab my shoulders to help steady me. That was at the same time I realized that we had developed an audience. Most of the vamps looked completely surprised. They couldn't figure out why Alucard was clutching his head and I had no blood coming out of the obvious bite in my neck. The rest of the vamps knew though, and all of them shared in the joke.  
  
The fact that the bite was still there was starting to bother me. I was almost positive it should have been gone by now. I could tell that Zeke was thinking the same thing as he rubbed his thumb over the bite. As if that was some signal the wound began to heal itself and soon disappeared as if had never been there, taking the pain away with it.  
  
In moments I was standing steadily on my own, which was more then I could say for Alucard. He was still swaying back and forth, but the headache had faded enough for him to think.  
  
"By any chance will you tell me what the hell that was?" Alucard asked through clenched teeth.  
  
I shrugged. "A self defense mechanism" I said quite bluntly. I had fully recovered and was standing with a grin, joining in on the joke that Zeke and I had pulled off.  
  
Alucard took a moment to get control over himself before he said anything else. In a matter of seconds he was the same dangerous guy that had snuck up on us when we walked in. The effect would have been ruined by his bout of pain, but the recovery was so complete that he seamed almost more dangerous, but the vampires were still silently laughing at him. He stared daggers at Zeke, blaming him for the humiliation. He'd all but forgotten me. I might have been the tool used to make him look like a fool, but Zeke was my 'master' as far as he was concerned, and I was only human. As much as I hated being treated as a pet, I'd gotten use to it. Zeke didn't treat me that way though, that was what mattered.  
  
Instead of trying to talk his way out of looking stupid he just shrugged and forced a smile. Any attempt he made to get back at Zeke he would have to win. So he decided not to do anything more tonight. He might even brush it off. It would be that or a long grudge. But either way it was over for now, and the party continued.  
  
Zeke and I separated. He went off to greet the other visiting vamps while I said hi to some I knew. Many commented on my unique ability, not really caring that Alucard fell for it. Some of them had suffered the same fate, but all of the local vamps knew that it was just one of Zeke's jokes.  
  
The party got rather boring after awhile. It wasn't really supposed to be anything but a greeting so there wasn't really anything I found interesting. I was glad the guys hadn't showed up, they would be agreeing that it was dull while considering how to make it more interesting. I was happy when Zeke finally came over and said that he had a ride home. I tagged along in the back seat as the female vamp driving flirted with Zeke trough out the entire trip. It was a longer ride than normal having to listen to her, but it made getting to Zeke's apartment all the better.  
  
He kept the good byes brief, but I was already heading for his door. I had my own key so I could come over in case I ever need a place to stay. The sound of music coming from his apartment told me I wouldn't be needing the key though. I opened the door and walked into a mess.  
  
My other vampire friends had stormed the place, rearranging the furniture to their liking. They had started out watch something on TV but had long sense stopped paying attention and were now shouting to each other as they carried out two or three conversations. All looked over to me before jumping out of their seats to say hi.  
  
They finished with me about the time Zeke walked in, so they all went over and started shouting at him. Zeke greeted them all in turn and they soon settled down. We all found a seat and went over everything we had done that night.  
  
The guys had spent a few hours at the fair, but had to leave as it closed. They didn't actually kill anyone because of a bet that Josh had made with Steve that Steve couldn't live off of non-human blood for a week. So Steve got them to leave early.  
  
"What are you going to drink then?" I asked.  
  
Steve shrugged. "I don't know, what ever they have at the butcher shop. I'll have to get them to stay open late so I can pick it up," he answered.  
  
"Or I can just pick some up for you," I pointed out.  
  
Steve shrugged again. "That would be convenient if you don't mind," he said.  
  
"Not at all."  
  
Then the conversation changed as it did quite often for the rest of the night. I barely paid attention to the time, but when we all wanted to go out and do something it was too close to dawn and we knew that we better not. I waited till the last minute to leave, promising to be back at dusk.  
  
School had been normal. I had been able to finish all of my homework with out a problem, leaving my afternoon free for whatever I wanted to do. I didn't have a job anymore so I didn't have anything to worry about. I did however have plenty of money and spent it with ease on a few new books and a couple of CDs. I stopped by the butcher's store with just enough time to pick up the blood and get back to the bus station so I could catch a ride back to Zeke's apartment.  
  
Pushing the door to the shop open I heard the familiar ring, signaling to the staff that someone was there. The man who walked out was in his mid forties and already going bald. He was big and strong looking dressed in white with a stained apron on.  
  
"Hello Frank, got the order?" I asked cheerfully.  
  
He looked at me with a glare filled with resentment and disgust, but he pulled out a large brown paper bag and dropped it on the counter. He punched some numbers into the till and waited for me to pay the bill. I pulled out the money and handed it over to him. He opened the register while muttering to himself. I couldn't be sure what he said, but it sounded somewhat like "I can't believe this bitch."  
  
I smiled sweetly to him. "What bothers you most about me? The fact that I hang out with vamps or that I'm doing their errands?" I asked.  
  
Frank looked up from the cash register as he handed me my change. "I sell to you freaks because this blood might keep one of you from killing someone. You... you care nothing for us humans."  
  
My smile went away for just a moment as I got serious. "You speak as if I was a vampire," I murmured.  
  
"You might as well be," He growled. I could feel I wasn't welcome so I took his hint and left, but I walked out casually as if what he said didn't bother me.   
  
The truth was, it didn't. At one point I hated the undead as much as the butcher, but that was a long time ago. Now it just didn't matter. Technically I was 137 years old, thirteen of those years were normal, most were sent in a half-life state. Most of my conscience disappeared with my normal life.  
  
My mind had already switched to a different topic when I got to a stoplight. I hit the button and waited for the don't walk sign to change to green. I stared as the cars drove by, not paying much attention to anything. I didn't see the sign turn green until some of the other people who needed to cross started walking. I blinked a couple of times then followed them. The same thing happened at the next light, even though I was paying attention. I shook my head as I tried to clear it. Then suddenly everything got dizzy.  
  
I stopped walking right in front of a coffee shop. I found the smell nauseating but had a bad feeling in my gut and I didn't trust myself with walking. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. That was when it hit me.  
I was breathing.  
  
Everything seamed to stop around me. The fact that I was breathing was easily overlooked, sense I can make myself inhale and exhale air, it just didn't go through my body. Yet this was real.  
  
Fear made me breath faster. I barely noticed as I dropped the bags that I had been carrying. Slowly and nervously I moved my hand to my neck and checked for a pulse. Unconsciously my body relaxed when I didn't feel anything. Then I felt a single beat. My body froze again. I waited and a few seconds latter I felt another one. Then another, and another...  
  
"What's happening to me?" I whispered. I think someone was trying to say something to me, but I wasn't listening. I felt my heartbeat speed up under my fingers. "What the hell is going on?"  
  
Panic was flooding trough me. I didn't know what to do. Suddenly my brain was going into over drive. I was breathing and my heart was beating and I was pretty sure that I was tired. I think I was even starting to hyperventilate. All of these things could mean only one thing.  
  
"Oh-my-god," I murmured, "I'm alive."  
  
I collapsed to my knees and just stayed that way. I couldn't think strait, I could barely keep myself on my knees. Distantly I heard someone tell someone else to call 911. My body started to shake. The blurriness was getting worse. Things began to darken. I felt weak. The last thing I remembered thinking was that I was dying. Then things went black.  
  
  
  
So... What'd you think? The next chapter will be out soon, I hope. Look forward to hearing what you have to say.  
  
~Rave 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
All I heard was ringing and I had a sneaky suspicion that it was all in my head. I tried to move my arm, but it felt too heavy so I stopped trying. My entire body felt drugged and I was worried that the feeling wouldn't go away.  
  
I tried to calm down as I waited for my body to wake up. Slowly I opened my eyes. The ceiling glared down at me with bright, white light. It was too harsh for my eyes and I squeezed them shut.  
  
Looking around seamed to be a bad idea so I went back to moving. Carefully I moved my arm to shield my eyes. The room was still bright but at least I could sort of look around. After a quick glance I knew I was in a hospital.  
  
My first reaction was fear. Last time I was in one the doctors noticed there was something odd about me. I had barely been able to leave without the doctors taking a closer look to see why exactly I didn't have a heart beat.  
  
Then I remembered exactly why I was here and the fear turned to terror. Quickly I checked my pulse. Sure enough it was still beating, simply at a steadier rate. I tried to remember anything I might have done to cause this. The problem was that I didn't know exactly what the curse was that put me in a non living state to begin with. It had been in Latin so I didn't have a clue how one went about reversing it.  
  
Not sure of what to do I decided that walking might be a good start. It took me awhile just to pull the blankets off of me that someone had used to firmly keep me on the bed. When I was done I carefully moved my legs so that they hung off the side of the bed.  
  
Noticing my reflection in a mirror I grimaced. I looked like crap. My hair, normally a dark auburn, was greasy and looked almost black while my eyes were blood shot making it hard to notice there true yellow color. My face was smooth and angular, and at the moment abnormally pale. It was definitely a picture that belonged in the hospital.  
  
I made a face when I saw that I was in one of those hospital outfits. I desperately wanted something warmer as I put my foot on the ground and realized that it was cold.  
  
Taking a deep breath I stood up, putting my entire wait on my legs. Almost instantly I collapsed, hitting the floor hard. Breathing hard I pushed myself up until I was siting against the bed. Looking down at my legs I saw that one of my knees was bleeding.  
  
"Real blood..." I murmured in a raspy tone. It took me a moment to let it sink in. I was bleeding. "Shit!"  
  
I shouldn't be breathing, little less bleeding. I shouldn't even be alive! I felt my body start to speed up again. My fear was turning to panic. I forced myself to calm down, I couldn't have another panic attack. Not here. I had to get to someone who could help me. A witch or a shaman or something. And I had to do it soon.  
  
With a deep breath I used the bed to pull myself to my feet. It took longer than it should have but my body just felt so weak. I grabbed a table that was next to the bed, hitting something that looked like a remote as I forced myself to stay standing.  
  
I was standing like that when the nurse walked in. She looked immediately surprised and quickly put me back in bed.  
  
"You should be resting now," she said harshly. "What ever you did knocked you out completely. I'm surprised you were even able to stand." and with that she left, leaving me confused. I stared at the door waiting for someone to come in.  
  
Sure enough in came a doctor person. She was wearing a white coat and carrying a clipboard. She smiled up at me and put her clipboard down.  
  
"It's Elizabeth, right?" she asked. I didn't bother asking how she knew my name. I had been carrying my school ID. So I just nodded. "Well then, you managed to get yourself into quite a mess."  
  
"What happened?" I croaked, my throat being too dry to sound right.  
  
"Well, we're not sure," the doctor stated. "For some reason you were going through what first seamed like an extreme panic attack. Then you just stopped. For the last two days your heartbeat has been abnormal. Your body just smoothed out to stable conditions this morning. Other than some aches and pains you appear to be in great health."  
  
"Wait, two days?" I asked. The doctor nodded. That meant I missed school. Not to mention the guys must be wondering where I was... "Damn."  
  
The doctor ignored my comment, continuing with her report instead. " We've faced the problem of not being able to get in contact with your father. We understand he's in Europe but we really need to contact him. Does he have a phone we could contact?"  
  
"Um, yeah, his cell phone, but you'll probably have to leave a voice mail," I said. I dreaded these times when they brought up my father. I still had to give her the number.  
  
"I see," she said, writing one last thing down. "I'll get someone to bring in some food."  
  
"That's okay, I'm not hungry." Even as I said it I realized it wasn't true. It had been such an automatic response over the years that I felt weird having it not be the case. The doctor gave me a knowing look and left without saying anything else. Again I sat waiting for someone to show up. Now that I knew that I was hungry my stomach wouldn't stop rumbling. I barely took the time to thank the nurse who brought in the food before starting in on it.  
  
The fact that hospital food was as bad as the stuff they served at school didn't stop this from being a great meal. I was a little worried about weather or not I'd be able to stomach it.  
  
For as long as I had the curse I couldn't eat. Literally. Anything I swallowed I'd end up throwing up. It was very unpleasant so I had just stopped. This meal, however, wasn't creating any problems at all. I felt just peachy. But once I was done I knew that I had to get out of the hospital. I needed to contact a vampire that could play the part of my dad so that I could get away.  
  
I tried standing again, and this time I had no trouble walking to the door. Another glance in the mirror told me that I was looking better already. Outside I found the closest nurse station. Lucky for me no one was there. I called the same cell number that I had given the doctor, but left a message explaining what the vamp would have to do. When I was done I walked back to my room to wait. An hour or so later I was given back my clothes and allowed to leave. I could tell the doctors weren't happy about it, but my 'father' had been very persistent.  
  
I was out of the hospital as quick as possible, hiding the fact that I was sore until I had gotten in a cab and I was heading for Zeke's house. Getting out of the cab was harder then getting in, but I refused the driver's offer for help. On my own I slowly traveled up the stairs to Zeke's apartment. The door was locked, meaning that they'd stayed somewhere else last night. The sun was just now beginning to set so they couldn't be out yet.  
  
I let myself in anyway, closing the door behind me. After stumbling over to a couch I was pretty much convinced that I never wanted to walk again. I feel asleep almost instantly, and I could have hoped for nothing better.  
  
~  
  
Knock! Knock! Knock!  
  
Groaning at the noise I rolled over and promptly fell on the floor. "Owe," I whispered in pain as I took a second to let it fad away.  
  
Knock! Knock! Knock!  
  
I forced myself to my feet as I considered answering the door. While I was feeling much better I was still sore and voted for the easier method. "Come in," I called to whoever was at the door. The door was pushed in and I was able to see who was there. "Oh, it's you. Go away."  
  
"No thanks. I like the invitation," Alucard said as he walked in. He was the last person I wanted to see at the moment, but I had been the stupid idiot who invited him in. He was dressed in crimson and black and looked like he was on the prowl. I didn't care.  
  
Shrugging I walked away, heading for the kitchen. "Do whatever you want. Zeke's not here at the moment."  
  
In the kitchen I was quite disappointed to realize there was nothing to eat. While there was blood in the fridge, cupboards were empty. We had never needed food so we just didn't buy it. I didn't hear Alucard come into the kitchen but I could almost feel him watching me as I settled for a glass of ice water, the one thing we did have. We also had a phone, making pizza available. Alucard continued to watch me as I called dominoes and ordered two large pizzas.  
  
"Hungry?" he asked. I turned and gave him a look that clearly told for him to shut up.  
  
He was beginning to get annoying. "What are you doing here?" I snapped sounding as irritated as I felt.  
  
Alucard shrugged. "I'm waiting for Zeke. It's more interesting watching then sitting in the living room," he said. He grinned at me for a moment. "I didn't know you were living here." The statement was almost a question. I ignored it.  
  
"Why do you want to see him?" I asked trying to find a point.  
  
He grinned at me. "Sorry hun, can't tell you. Vampire business," he said. Rolling my eyes I pushed past him and into the hall.  
  
"You know, you're really easy to annoy tonight," Alucard yelled after me. He followed me into the living room and sure enough that bugged me. I was acting rather irritable, he was right about that, but I was also feeling hundreds of things that I haven't had to deal with for so long that it was just hell to go through them again. "Something's different about you. I don't know what but its definitely different. You didn't strike me as easy to annoy."  
  
I wasn't sure of what I should say to that. I certainly couldn't tell him the truth. "I'm just feeling crappy." I said weakly. I sounded defensive and I didn't mean to.  
  
Alucard's eyes were peering into me with either extreme curiosity or concern. Maybe even both, but I doubted it. "For some reason I think you're leaving something out," he stated bluntly.  
  
I shrugged. "Maybe. So what?" I asked staring strait at him. There was nothing defensive about it. I was merely being as blunt as he was. Alucard didn't get a chance to answer the question because right then Zeke came home.  
  
He noticed me first. "Liz, where've you been?" he asked, then he saw Alucard. He gave me a questioning glance but I just shook my head.  
  
"Alucard wanted to talk to you," I explained. "I'll be in the bedroom."  
  
The bedroom was the one room that wasn't often used. There was a dresser that held Zeke's clothes and if it weren't for that he'd probably never go in here. All I cared about was the fact that I had a headache and that there was also a bed here. I feel on it with ease and decided that another nap would be good. I never actually fell asleep though. I just laid there in between for awhile until Zeke knocked on the door. I sat up as he walked in.  
  
He stared at me while I yawned. Then with a smirk he said, "You know, you really look like shit."  
  
"You look great, yourself," I muttered as I got to my feet. "What did Alucard want?" I asked.  
  
Zeke shrugged. "Nothing much. He just wanted to invite me somewhere," I could tell that he wasn't telling me everything, but I wasn't in the mood to make anything out of it. "So where have you been?"  
  
It was my turn to shrug. "Sleeping," I said simply. Zeke raised an eyebrow. I didn't want to say too much, after all he was a vampire. A good friend, also, but would that last if he knew I was bitable?  
  
"Nick said you called from the hospital," Zeke stated. I winced. I should have known my 'dad' would have told someone.  
  
"Yeah, well, I've been sleeping at the hospital," I said awkwardly.  
  
"Well are you alright?" he asked.  
  
"Peachy, I just had a really bad day, but the doctor said I'm in great health. It's safe to assume that I'll live," no pun intended, I added in my head.  
  
Zeke nodded. "Good," he said. He didn't see a need to press further. That was good. I had never told him my exact conditions, so he didn't have reasons to think something was wrong. I hope. He could just be being nice.  
  
The doorbell rang, catching Zeke by surprised. I jumped up immediately. The pizza guy was at the door. I quickly paid the man and took the pizza.  
  
Zeke watched with a smile. "Wow, you do eat," he said as I helped myself to the largest piece.  
  
"Of 'orse I do," I said with a full mouth. "Quit looging at me 'ike I'm crazy," I muttered. "I've been living off of hospital food for the last two days. Imagine drinking pig blood that long instead of humans. There's a big difference."  
  
"Don't worry, I believe you," he said, "It's just funny to watch you stuff yourself." I threw a sausage piece at him and he laughed it off. "Speaking of food I have to get some before I head out."  
  
"Out to where?" I asked.  
  
Zeke was very evasive as he answered. "No where important, but you're okay for tonight, right?"  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. It's not too late maybe I'll go somewhere." I was more interested in where he was going, but I didn't ask again. Instead I grabbed another piece of pizza and listened to Zeke ramble on for the next ten minutes about nothing in particular. Then he left for his mysterious event.  
  
I filled up on pizza before heading out. I had a cab take me to one of the parks downtown.  
  
The night had a chill to it, threatening rain, but still not forcing anyone to wear more than a light jacket. Although still busy roads surrounded the park it was empty. Wanting to do something interesting I headed for the fair. It was open until ten thirty and my watch claimed that it was a quarter till. There was plenty of time to see if any of my friends were there.  
  
Walking into the fair I grinned. It was a weapons show. The booths were set up in one area, leading towards the pavilion. It was a small thing, so most of the rest of the fair was blocked off so that no one could mess anything up.  
  
I took my time looking around. There was everything from modern shotguns to fifthteenth century swords. I stopped to ask a question every now and then, mostly though, I just looked. I never really was interest in guns, but I wasn't bad with a sword. The guys could spend hours talking about different weapons and because I listened I knew a thing or two, and I actually recognized a couple of things. I took the time to examine a few swords as I walked through booths. Most were for decoration, but a few would actually be good in a fight.  
  
One sword in particular interested me. It was about two feet long, but roughly four inches wide. It was silver coated, making me think that it was just for decorations at first, but with a closer look I saw three things that changed my mind. First that it looked, and felt, used. Second, there were three symbols carved into the metal and one into the hilt, two of which I recognized as battle symbols and one that looked like a charm. The last I didn't recognize symbol had me stumped. The third thing that set it off was the fact that all of the symbols were stained with blood. A magicked sword, it makes you wonder what it's for. The entire thing appeared to be completely useless.  
  
"Does that piece interest you?" The British accent took me by surprise. The man behind the stand smiled at me, his eyes sparkling with amusement. They mocked me, knowing something that I didn't.  
  
I realized I was staring and quickly glanced away. "Not really," I lied, putting the sword down. The moment I let it go I wanted to pick it up again. He just continued to smile, perfectly calm. "It's rather awkward, actually, why'd you put it out on show?"  
  
The man put it back in place as he answered, "I like it," was his only explanation. I felt awkward not saying anything, but I didn't really feel like leaving either. He looked up at me, "Did you want something?"  
  
I shook my head. "No, not really," he continued to stare at me. "Are you visiting?"  
  
"For now at least, I'm actually waiting for someone," he stated.  
  
"Waiting for someone here at the fair, or in Puyallup in general?" I asked, just trying to buy time while I figured out why exactly I wanted to pick up the sword again.  
  
He shrugged. "Whenever she shows up," He stated.  
  
I raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anymore. Instead I forced myself to turn and walk away. I didn't understand, the moment I saw that sword it caught my interest. Normally I would have brushed it off, but the man seamed to know that I liked it. He seamed to almost expect it. Suddenly I no longer felt like looking at the booths. I walked off to a darker part of the fair. They had ropes up showing you where not to go. The majority of the fair was still closed, making the ride and game area off limits.  
  
I sat at a bench and stared at the crowds of people that were beginning to dwindle off. Was I going to end up like them? I was alive again, but no one seamed to notice. I knew that some magic was keeping me safe before, not letting people know that I wasn't really living, but if I was alive again, would I go back to how I was? Or would I be just like them. I had too many questions and I needed answers. There were some witches and druids around that I could ask, but I would have to go somewhere where they would know more.  
  
I caught a security guard glancing my way and figured that I should probably be moving on. I stood up and decided on leaving. Shoving my hands in my pockets I sighed, almost too loud to here the faint scream coming from further into the fair.  
  
Looking around I noticed no one else heard it. It was probably just some vampire terrorizing a human. It was nothing too bad, nothing that I hadn't watched before. But I felt so horrible doing nothing. Was it because I was alive again? Probably.  
  
"Damn it, stupid vampires," I muttered. Crawling under the rope that blocked off the rest of the fair I started off on a run from where I thought the scream came from. My direction was confirmed when I heard another scream, this time louder and nearer. My easy run turned into a sprint as I turned around the last corner.  
  
There were three vampires. That was two too many. I'm pretty sure that with luck I could have remembered enough skills to kill one, but three was weigh out of my league. They saw me though, so I had to do something. Besides, what they were doing to the two girls with them was wrong even by my vampire friend's standards.  
  
The girls were being tortured. They were hanging from ropes that were tied to a pole, and it looked like they had been there awhile. Their wrists were rubbed raw and they were slowly swaying back and forth. Their necks were about the only part of them untouched. Cuts and bite marks were scattered over their bodies, along with several bruises. I was happy to see that these vampires weren't too bad, they hadn't stripped the girls, so even though I really didn't like what they were doing I had seen worse.  
  
"Look, another one," one of the vamps said as he started towards me. I didn't recognize him, but one of the others looked familiar. They were some of the visitors. One of his friends had been the vamp who had motioned us into the party. I just hoped one of the other two had been in the party and had seen Alucard's attempt to bite me. It just might make them think twice.  
  
The vampires started towards me. I braced myself for their attack, but at the same time appeared completely relaxed and at ease as I let a grin creep over my face. "Hello boys, I don't know what you do where you're from, but vamps around here don't do that," I motioned to the girls. "Nor do they try to kill too many humans, as I'm sure you haven't had a second thought about. So if you don't mind, you can leave, and let these girls go while they still have some chance at staying alive."  
  
That took them by surprise and they stopped walking for a moment. "You're not a vampire." One of them snapped.  
  
"Correct smart one," I said with heavy sarcasm. "I just spend my time running into you idiots," That started them forward again. I raised my hands in defense. "Hey, if you want to bite me, go ahead, see where it gets you." I pulled my hair back and offered my neck. This is where the gamble came in. If none of them had been there then they wouldn't know not to bite.  
  
The vamp that talked first started forward eagerly, but another stopped him. "She's that Liz chick." That seamed to make him hesitate, I just continued to stand there, hoping that this would work.  
  
"Who?" asked the third vamp, who obviously hadn't heard of me.  
  
The second started to explain. "Alucard said you can't bite her. She's supposedly unable to be hurt," he said, then stopped to think. "But she can't stop us, either."  
  
"Are you sure we can't bite her?" asked the third. He was peering at me through small, wrinkled covered eyes.  
  
The second shook his head. "Nah, we can't. Alucard's trying to make peace with the vamp in charge of her and if we hurt her he might get ticked."  
  
I figured that they weren't going to try to bite me, that was good. I think they could kill me if they tried. And it was good that Alucard was trying to be nice to Zeke. If things went wrong it might save me. It wasn't so good, however, that they knew I couldn't stop them. I had this really bad feeling that if they ignored me and went back to torturing the girls I would have to step in. Sure enough they ignored me and went back to their business, I tried one more time to talk to them.  
  
"Look, if you're trying to make peace with Zeke, then you shouldn't be invading his territory and torturing the people in it," I snapped, they continued to ignore me. I watched as one sunk his teeth into a girl's neck and I knew they were out to kill. "Look, if you start doing this you're going to bring out a few slayer wannabes and we're all going to be in trouble."  
  
One of the vamps turned back to me. "And what are you, Zeke's pet slayer wannabe?"  
  
The irony of that almost made me crack up laughing right there and then. They wouldn't understand, but it was actually kind of funny. I couldn't surpress a grin, and the grin was bugging the vamp. "I'm no body's pet, and I'm not a wannabe, but I also can't let you do this." The vampire biting the girl clinched his teeth harder and she screamed. I knew there wasn't any time for talk, but I had to do something. I didn't even have a stake.  
  
They were ignoring me again. I looked around for something. I remembered a pile of wood on the way here and ran back to it. The vampires paid no attention, and continued to ignore me when I came back with one of the sharper pieces of wood. The fact they weren't paying attention actually paid off. I walked up to the three of them, and while they were playing with their girls I took the stake and shoved it into one of their hearts and he burst into dust. It was actually easy.  
  
They stopped ignoring me then, so I turned to run. They followed after me, and they were quicker. I just had to make it to the show. I had checked over a couple of the guns and I knew of a couple that were actually loaded and ready to go. One of them grabbed me and pulled me back. I couldn't twist out of his grasp, and I didn't have the strength to do anything else.  
  
"What's the matter? You don't have slayer strength after all, do you?" The vampire mocked.  
  
I shook my head. "No, not for years," I muttered. I did, however, have several years of different kinds of martial arts training, and I didn't mind taking the cheep shots. He grabbed me and pulled me towards him, preparing to bite, I nailed him in the balls, causing him to let go. Taking advantage of the extra bit of time I took off at another sprint before the vamp's partner could grab me.  
  
I was tired when I reached the booths. People were starting to pack up and leave. I knew that the vampires were trying to find away to pull me to the side without drawing too much attention. I didn't care if I caught attention. I could always get out of here. I found the booth I needed just as a vampire grabbed me. Unfortunately it was in one of the corners back where there wasn't as clear of a view of us. Unfortunately the person in charge of the booth wasn't here either.  
  
"If you don't make a fuss we won't kill you," the vampire growled into my ear.  
  
I smirked. "As if I would believe you," I snapped.  
  
I looked for a weapon close enough but couldn't find one in reach. There were several shotguns in the booth, and some older weapons under glass. I had talked to the owner of the collection. He liked to keep some of the oldest weapons, and keep them in working condition. I knew for a fact that they were all loaded and worked. They wouldn't kill the vamp, but they would slow it down.  
  
"Whether or not you believe me doesn't matter. You can't stop us, you've run out of luck," he stated.  
  
"Maybe, maybe not," I replied. He was holding both my arms, I couldn't run and my back was to him so I couldn't throw a punch. I could try elbowing him, but it wouldn't work very well. I settled on stomping on his foot. He yelped when I hit it, obviously with more force then I thought I could use. I pulled out of his grip long enough to jump over the counter and grab a gun.  
  
He had hold of my leg before I could get completely over so I half fell once I had hold of the gun. I managed to turn though, and fired an easy shot at his chest. The great thing about a shotgun is that you didn't need great aim. It hardly mattered anyway, he was only a few feet away, but it helped. The guy I had kneed came up and I shot him too. I dropped the shotgun, glad that I was on the ground. The kick would have knocked me off my feet if I weren't. They were both recovering as I climbed back over, leaving the shotgun behind.  
  
I recovered from shooting off the gun quicker than I thought I would, another lucky break for me. Now I was sprinting for the exit, where it appeared that my luck ran out. There were four more vampires waiting for me there. For a moment I though it was coincidence, but the way they started for me told me it wasn't. How they knew I was causing trouble I didn't know, but it didn't matter. I had to find a way to stay alive.  
  
"Oh how I wish the guys were here," I muttered.  
  
"Well, let's hope you don't need them," I recognized the British voice. The man from the sword booth was standing behind me. I didn't realize that I had made it back to his booth. He was still smiling at me. "Guns won't work, we both know that. I hear decapitation does it though. Swords are good at that." He still had that knowing look, but it didn't bug me that much anymore. I was more worried about ending up as dinner.  
  
"Whoever you are, if I live through this you have some explaining," I said as I grabbed the sword that I had first been looking at. "Stupid sword," I muttered, not sure as to why I grabbed it. It was awkward and heavy, but it had sharp edges so it might work.  
  
Six vampires. I remembered when this was easy. I'd gone up against worse, granted I had stakes and a crossbow, but swords worked. I didn't want to be in a corner, it gave me no where to run to. I was fast for a human, not so much for a vampire, but if I could get a head start then I just had to break into a near by house and they couldn't come in.  
  
Hopefully, with whatever happened to me the two girls would get away. It would be very annoying if I got eaten and they went back and killed the girls. Then this really wouldn't be worth it.  
  
I walked out into the clearing between booths. All the humans had scattered either when the gun shots went off or when the vampires showed up. I didn't have that luck. If there was any way for me to call for help I would have done it.  
  
Taking a deep breath I focused. I closed my eyes for a moment, placing in my mind where each vampire was standing, how they were moving, and how they were going to attack. Feeling them came naturally to me. I forced myself to calm down as I waited for them to make the first move.  
  
They attacked in threes, the first group coming at me in a run. I dodged several kicks and punches until one nailed me in the gut. With a gasp I fell backwards. One of them grabbed me, holding me still as the other two hit me a few more times. I took each hit, not sure as how to stop them. I twisted around a bit, trying to get the vamp holding me to let go. He didn't, but he did loosen his grasp. I elbowed him hard in the gut, taking him by surprise. I was able to pull away from him, dodging the other two's attacks. I crouched to the ground and quickly kicked the legs out from one of the two vampires that were still attacking. He fell to the ground as I jumped back up. Twisting in the air I pulled my leg around and kicked the third vamp in the head, knocking him back as well.  
  
The second group was already attacking. They leapt over the fallen vampires without a second thought. One through a punch at me, I raised an arm to block it. I thrust my knee into his stomach before being pulled back by another. He grabbed me by the neck, trying to choke me. I dropped the sword that I had somehow managed to hold onto. The vamp wrapped an arm around me as his hand tightened against my throat. I wasn't used to having to breathe so while this normally wouldn't have been a problem being alive had down falls.  
  
The vampire pulled me off the ground, but I pulled back. Once I got my feet back on the ground I used every ounce of strength I had to flip him over my shoulders. He landed with a thud and I was left gasping. Other vampires were getting to their feet so I had to stay on mine. Quickly I picked my sword back up. What surprised me was how quickly I kept recovering.  
  
The vampire I hadn't fought yet was coming at me. He was using no strategy at all, and I took advantage of that. I barely had to aim my sword as I swung it at him. His head feel to the ground before his body burst into dust. One of the vampires that was already on his feet saw this. He began actually looking scared and he took off at a run.  
  
"Two down," I murmured as I watched the other four reform.  
  
They attacked again, determined to win. I attacked as well, dodging every blow they threw at me as I parried with a punch or a thrust of my sword. It didn't take long to dust another vampire, bringing me back to three on one.  
  
I was tired and out of breath, but I had to keep fighting. I was wondering what happened to the British guy who had giving me the sword to start with. He obviously knew something about vampires. It would help if he did something useful. Unfortunately he was no where to be seen so I had to go on alone.  
  
Again they attacked together, this time actually looking like they knew what they were doing. I dropped the sword again, but this time so that I could use both arms to block off attacks. I gave up on the sword theory. I had to find a stake to use against them. It would be quicker and more efficient. There was no way I could get back to the pile of wood scraps. I had to find a stake somewhere else.  
  
That I would work on later, at the moment I was fighting off vampires, and they were wining. There was no time to look at where I was going but they were forcing me steadily backwards. With every punch I blocked and attack I made I knew I should have been getting exhausted, but I wasn't. If anything I was getting stronger, faster, and more energetic. There was nothing logical happening in this fight.  
  
One of the vampires finally knocked me backwards and off my feet, causing me to fall. Instead of hitting the ground my back slammed into something sharp behind me. I cursed as I stumbled to the ground. Looking behind me I saw the edge of a fountain often used for decoration. The fountain was still going and the sound of splashing water was aggravating as I tried to calm the pain in my back.  
  
I climbed to my feet, slowly and painfully. A vampire hit me in the face, knocking me back, but I couldn't move any further, being right next to the fountain's wall. I punched back, nailing him in the face. With a series of kicks I managed to get some room.  
  
One of the vampires grabbed for me. I caught his arm and twisted it around until I heard something snap. He tried to pull back as he cried out in pain, but I held on as I pulled him down so I could easily kick him in the head so that he'd stay out of the fight.  
  
The two other vamps came at me. I blocked a kick, quickly following it up with one of my own. I punched, he blocked. Turning I kicked him in the side, knocking the vamp back. The other rushed at me, I side stepped and let him run by as I delivered another blow to his friend. The vampire ran back at me, full speed. Instead of jumping out of the way I jumped onto the fountain's edge then immediately kicked off, twirling in the air before I kicked him in the face.  
  
All three vampires were on the ground.  
  
"Catch!" Someone yelled.  
  
I turned to see who it was just in time to catch the wooden stake flying at me. In three quick movements I dusted the vampires. leaning back for a moment I finally got time to catch my breath. Just as I went to sit down, though, someone grabbed me and was pulling me up.  
  
I looked to see the British man. "Come on, we have to get out of here," He ordered.  
  
"Wait, what's going on?" I asked even as I allowed him to push me towards one of the side exits. He didn't explain, but instead lead me to a van that was waiting outside. The doors opened right as we got there and I was hurried inside of it before I had a chance to say anything else.  
  
There were three men already inside, them plus an open trunk of weapons in the back seat. I didn't have time to ask who they were before the van started up and the driver sped out of there. I wasn't even in a seat yet and had to grab something to stop from falling over. The two men in the back helped me to a seat while I went over everything that just happened in my mind.  
  
"Elisabeth Johnson I presume," The driver said in a thick British accent. I didn't need to hear the rest of them to guess that they were all British.  
  
I nodded before saying, "Yeah, kind of anyway."  
  
"What do you mean 'kind of'?"  
  
I shook my head this time. "Nothing, nothing. Look, I appreciate the get away van, I really do, but I've got to go. I don't know who you are and I really need to be somewhere," I said. I had a horrible feeling about what was going on.  
  
The man from the booth was looking strait at me and I was having a hard time not looking back. He had the presence of authority about him, making himself seam bigger than he was. "Look, I don't care who you are. I know that you know what they are, and I know that you know what they can do. I can't let you go out there and get killed. One of them got away? Remember? There's not a vampire in this town who won't be after you."  
  
"They weren't from this town!" I yelled, getting fed up with him. "They're not from here, there are people here who won't be after me. I'll be just fine, let me go!"  
  
That took him by surprise, but he soon recovered. "You're right, they're not from here. They're not even important. They were nobodies, foot soldiers, vampires sent out for the sole purpose of getting slaughtered. There are others though, older and more experienced. Others trained so that they can one day kill one person. You." He stared at me with such intensity that for a moment I actually thought he might be right.  
  
Then I shook the thought out of my head. "No, you're wrong. Why would they kill me? Hmm? Why?" I asked. I needed an answer. Nothing was making sense and I needed that to change. These men knew something and they were going to tell me.  
  
They were all silent for a moment, then the younger of the four said quite matter-of-factly, "Because you're the slayer."  
  
  
  
A sword fight, dusted vampires and pizza. The chapter couldn't have been that bad, even if it was a tad longer than I normally make them. Eleven pages without the necessary spacing so it's not all one big blob. Anyway, thanks for all the review! While I'm not supposed to individually thank people, because I know certain people I know in real life really hate that sort of thing, I'm going to anyway.  
  
Gidgetgirl: well, you kind of got a look at her in the beginning of the chapter, plus her name at the end, I hope that helps. I'm glad you like the idea, or at least what you know of it so far. I'm trying to throw in a plot twist later on but that won't be until she hooks up with the scoobies.  
  
Son of Evil: ^.^ glad you liked it. History is next chapter. I figured it's about time and all. If you have any specific questions review them and I'll try to throw them into the story.  
  
Beyondthesilence: Short review, short answer. Glad you like it. Hope you keep reading and I look forward to many reviews. ^.^  
  
FanofFaith: Yes, the scobbies will show up, just not for. um. at least three chapters. I have to go through two years of important stuff (I skip around A LOT) to set up for when she joins the Buffy in season seven. But rest asured, you will see them. If you have any other questions, I'll make sure to get back to you.  
  
Kurt Uhlig: Bremerton? Almost directly north of Puyallup. Actually, I moved a little north of here over the summer so I don't live in Puyallup anymore, though I'm there quite often. Don't know how often you've been to the fair but the fight actually takes place in a certain spot, but I'm not too wonderful at explaining it.  
  
Thanks again!  
  
~Rave 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Again the van was silent. No one wanted to be the first to speak and god knows that I was either too stunned or too terrified to be the one to break the silence. The words weren't sinking in, even though they made since. I had heard them before a long, long time ago. That had been different though.  
  
I had been thirteen, living in England and completely unaware of the vampire population. My family was middle class, and other than my brother we fit in rather well. I was popular, well liked, just another girl trying to be perfect for my family. Then one day a strange man showed up and changed my life.  
  
At the time I hadn't known he was a vampire. Being the girl I was I just thought he was a sickly old man. I was on my way home from a party, or at least waiting for my brother to come out and join me so he could escort me home. When the man started talking to me I had to be polite. He was in human form, and while his evil had changed his appearance for the worst, I tried to think the best of him. After all, there were many diseases that could hurt you, and he was dressed in fine cloths.  
  
I didn't know what to do when he attacked me. I had screamed but he hadn't let me run. It wasn't proper for me to fight so I didn't even think of defending myself. If my brother hadn't walked out of the party at that time it would have been too late. He cried for help and when a mob came out to defend me the vampire fled. I didn't see him go, but I knew what he was, or at least part of me did. The logical part told me he was just a twisted evil man. After all, how could he be a demon?  
  
Later that night I left my house, just to stand outside and stare. A part of me wanted to see that man again, to see what a demon looked like. I didn't know what I would do, but I knew that I would be okay. That was when my watcher first approached me. I was ready to run inside, thinking he might also try to kill me. He didn't, he merely told me everything.  
  
I was no longer just a girl. I was the chosen one. The one girl of my generation chosen to stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. I was the slayer, and a damn good one if I do say so myself. I killed hundreds of vampires. It had been easy. Even the harder ones never seamed like much of a threat.  
  
Then the inevitable happened, I came up against a vampire I couldn't beat.  
  
His name was Brekken. The vampire from the party.  
  
I'm not sure of how old he was, but I would have no problem saying that he was over a couple thousand. No one ever mentioned what he had done in the past. He was this figure of imposing doom, I didn't know why. It had never mattered why he was so terrifying, or at least not at first. He was simply the only vampire I had ever faced that had terrified me so much that I couldn't fight him. I had killed masters, I had killed the monsters that vampires feared, but this one topped them all.  
  
When I did fight him, I didn't do badly. I wasn't winning, but neither was he. Then, as some might say, he cheated. He pulled out his little witch to do this spell. I didn't even hear it I was too busy staying alive. When Brekken finally spoke the last line of the spell I knew I had lost. Then the next thing I knew the entire world froze. There was no sound, no movement, no pain, until I woke up.  
  
Everything seamed so vivid. It hurt, just to look around. Everything felt wrong, like I didn't belong. I knew that I wasn't alive. For a moment I thought Brekken had turned me, had made me a vampire. I felt like I was dead, but I wasn't. It was worse.  
  
I was stuck. Stuck in time with nothing to do. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and couldn't die. Believe me when I said that I tried. For a hundred and twenty years I had been in existence, but not alive. My family didn't notice anything at first. Makeup and maturity covered up for lack of aging.  
  
Vampires were still after me though. But I couldn't fight them. The spell had taken my life, as well as my strength. I was no longer the slayer. My best friend, my brother, had been killed a few months ago. Nothing was going well. My watcher just disappeared. I never really liked him. I thought I didn't need him. But when he was gone, I sure did miss him.  
  
I faked a death and left England. America was a new frontier for me. I didn't need food or shelter. It cut down on supplies and let me save money. I sat by and watched wars. I was witness to some of the first American vampires. Master vampires crossed my path, being so distorted by the evil inside of them they were gruesome even to me.  
  
Brekken came to America. He gave me some interesting nights. Believe it or not he was pissed. He couldn't kill me, that's all he wanted to do. He was so focused on me that he forgot about the current slayer to be. I wasn't even there to see her kill him. It was a bitter day, that one. His death ended my only source of amusement and the fact that I had nothing to do with it stung. So I sunk into the shadows and let things go on as they were.  
  
I stood by and watched history take place, and it meant nothing to me. Politics, presidents, agriculture, the rising technology. It was meaningless. Humans were dull. They hurt, they fought and they died. All the things that I found fascinating by life became muted.  
  
Nothing could hurt me, as far as I could tell I was untouchable, if not invincible. As great as that sounds, being immortal sucks. There was no challenge, no adventure. Even while being a pampered girl there had been competition, not to mention the slayer's life. Now. I had nothing, no one. My family was dead. My friends? Gone. There was nothing left for me, no escape. I couldn't even kill myself.  
  
Then I found someone who shared in my misery, but also found joy in it. You'd be surprised with how easily a vampire could keep you entertained. I met him like I meet most vampires, in a dark alley while they're out for a late night snack. He wasn't young then. To this day I don't know when he died. After the bought of pain that came with biting me he was fascinated. Soon he became determined to figure out what was up with me. I became a sort of hobby to him, an unsolvable riddle that neither of us knew the answer to.  
  
More than all of that though, Zeke was fun.  
  
He knew where to go, what to do, how to keep eternity from getting dull. He showed me music, parties, all the while never forgetting that one question. What was keeping me here? Someone else was looking into it. That fact kept allowed me to relax. For the moment it wasn't my problem.  
  
Zeke was one of the few vampires who didn't necessarily kill all his victims. Not that he didn't like killing, he was a vampire, it's what they do, but he realized that it wasn't always the best thing.  
  
There was actually a group formed for these vampires. They were mocked and laughed at, but they didn't care. After all, they were getting the best deals out of it. Most of the group had at one point in their death gotten in to tight spots with the slayer. All were lucky to be alive, and all knew that the slayer wouldn't come to an area of low concentrated vampires. They left in their group, going some place where no other vampires would live.  
  
The West Coast was just getting popular. Puyallup was a small city with no vampires residing there. To this day it's in the shadow of other cities, but now it's a city of its own.  
  
Zeke was never formally announced the leader. He wouldn't have excepted the title but everyone knew who they answered to. The only hint he ever gave to his age was when a vampire stepped out of line. He let anyone who wanted to leave, but if they were going to stay they were going to follow the rules. Every vampire who came into that town learned that. If they didn't agree with the rules they were taken care of.  
  
I was perfectly happy to do everything in my power to help.  
  
Unknown to my vampire friends I started up a human life. Things didn't feel right with my living in the dark. I had nothing to do in the day. I couldn't stay with them. Not if I wanted to appear living. They couldn't know I wasn't alive in case I ever became alive. If they knew the truth, then they would know when I was vulnerable.  
  
Yet someone knew anyway. Someone knew that I could be hurt, and they were waiting. They showed up in town just days before. No, they showed up the night I came back to life. And they knew, they knew I was the slayer.  
  
"No," I stated, suddenly calm. Through out all of my reminiscence they hadn't said a word. They had waited for me, and I was done waiting. "I can't be the slayer. I can't do that again, not anymore."  
  
"What are you talking about?" one of the men asked at the same time another said, "Got her info."  
  
Everyone but the driver looked at the man who I just noticed was behind a laptop. "Elisabeth Johnson," he said. "Attending Roger's High school. She's 16, lives with her dad who travels a lot. there's not much information."  
  
"We need to contact your parents, its very important," The man from the booth said. For the first time I got a good look at him. His thick brown hair nearly covered his emerald green eyes. He appeared shaggy, but dignified, and appeared to be somewhere in his late thirties. All of that meant nothing though. He carried himself with importance and urgency and that was what caught your attention.  
  
"Who are you?" I blurted out.  
  
The man took it in stride, fully expecting the question. "My name is Lloyd Stetson," he stated. "I'm here on behalf of the watchers guild to make sure you stay safe. You have no idea of the threat that's after you at the moment. The first thing we have to do is get out of here and contact your parents."  
  
"On behalf of the watchers guild?" I murmured. "Okay, I can understand that, but what's the deal? Who's the big bad that we're running from? Obviously there're vampires out for me, but how do they know who I am? It was only a few days ago that I came back to life, besides, the other slayer hasn't died yet."  
  
Again, all but the driver were staring at me. Lloyd was the one to explain, though he sounded unsure and was considering what I had just said. It took me a moment to realize that I had mentioned coming back to life. Chances were they didn't know what that meant. Lloyd tactfully ignored it, however, and went on to explain.  
  
"There's a group of vampires that has been forming. They're slowly taking over different vampiric groups from all of the United States. Even with all the information we have on the group we still know very little. All the information that concerns you is that they have gotten hold a prophecy, one that concerns you. The prophecy had been translated from many different languages, and rather badly translated at that. We have managed to get a rough version of what they have." Lloyd explained. "As far as we can tell, it says that you will arrive at the location we found you, and that sometime in the next two years you will either be killed or kill all remaining vampires in this world."  
  
I stared at him. "Kill all vampires?" I asked skeptically. He nodded, completely serious. "Well, you said you had a bad translation. You must have gotten it wrong because there's no way I can kill all the vampires. Even if I lived for another hundred years I couldn't do it."  
  
"We realize what you're saying," said the younger watcher, "but that part of the translation is correct. The exact words we don't know, but I assure you that the prophecy is true."  
  
I had dealt with watchers and their prophecies before. Best to let them pretend that they're right. "Fine, whatever. I have to stay alive for two years? No problem. Tell me what I have to do to take out this organization." The prophecy I would deal with later. Right now I had some business that I had to take care of. Another thought came to mind though. "Wait, how can I be the slayer, doesn't one have to die first? No one mentioned anything about Buffy dieing, and I don't think Faith would have gotten herself killed."  
  
"You know about the slayers?" Asked the computer watcher.  
  
I replied, "I like keeping track of them."  
  
"Buffy died two nights ago. You won't here anything about it on the street. We've spoken to her watcher and he has devised a way to make it appear that Buffy is still alive," Lloyd explained.  
  
I nodded understanding. "So about the vamps?" I asked.  
  
"Yes, well," Lloyd started, "Perhaps Chris should explain. He's been doing most of the research on them."  
  
The younger watcher looked surprised, but he nodded as he spoke. "Well, we know mostly where they're camping out, different cities across America. We know of a few of the leader's top servants. We don't, however, know much about their leader. He refers to himself simply as 'The Boss' and all his henchmen call him that. We haven't heard a name for him, or had any clues as to where he himself in hiding."  
  
I thought about that a moment. It sounded familiar and I could sort of remember Zeke joking about it a few months ago. They hadn't known much about it, though. Of course if the new vampires in town were part of this new organization then I would know of a couple of people in it.  
  
"Do you know of a vampire who goes by the name Alucard?" I asked.  
  
Chris nodded. "Well, yes there're several..."  
  
"Yes, but in this group?" I asked.  
  
"Oh, well, let's see..." he paused to think a moment. "Yes, I've heard of one of the vampires using that name as a joke, but we don't know much about him."  
  
"What do you know?" I asked.  
  
Chris looked nervous as he answered. He wasn't sure of himself and it showed. "He's one of the leaders, top notch and all. We haven't been able to find out much about him, we haven't seen him as a big concern. I must admit I've only heard of him once or twice so I don't have any information on the vampire."  
  
"Why're you so interested?" The driver asked, speaking up for the first time.  
  
Not sure how to answer that I merely shrugged. I didn't really want to mention that I had spent the last fifty some odd years hanging out with vampires and that I was now worried about one.  
  
This new group was slowly taking over the vampire population. I didn't know if it was by persuasion or force, but if they were trying to get Zeke out of power he's not going to fall for it. If it was a trap for him he could be in trouble. While the majority of the vampires that had been with Alucard were really young, Zeke couldn't fight them all. Then again, they were all looking for me that night, so he might be safe. Of he could be dead. Either way I was still worried.  
  
"Now that's weird," the man behind the computer said. "We have all the basic information about her dad. His job, his number, and a lot of other things, but when you try to look in detail on anything there's nothing there to find. If I didn't know any better I'd say her family didn't exist." He looked up at me. "So how'd you do it? How'd you get this charade going about your life?"  
  
I think I liked watchers better when they couldn't use computers. No one was questioning the man's findings, so they all knew that my cover story was fake. That didn't surprise me too much, but it left me with the decision of just how much to tell them. I decided that close to the truth would be good.  
  
"My name is Elisabeth Blake. I was born in London in 1863. When I was thirteen I met a watcher who told me I was a slayer. When I was seventeen I was cursed so that I was stuck in a state where I wasn't alive or dead and two nights ago I came back to life. For the last hundred and twenty years I've done nothing but made up stories so that people would think I was still alive. I found that I've gotten rather good at it. As to this story? I had one of my friends help make records and just put it into play. It was quite simple."  
  
This time they were in shock. I don't know whether or not they believed me, at the moment I was getting blank stares. I smiled to myself. It was amusing, to say the least, and after all, I had only answered the question so it's not my fault that I hadn't bothered to be subtle. Or at least that was what I was telling myself.  
  
"Okay then," said the computer guy. "That explains a few things." He folded up his laptop and put it down. "We'll look in the files once we get back to the hotel. We should be safe for now." He looked directly at me. "You're going to tell me the entire story when we get to the hotel. I'm sure it'll sound weird and farfetched, but I need to hear it all."  
  
By the way he said it I knew that it wasn't an option. I simply nodded, not sure as to what I'd really tell him, but I knew that it wouldn't be smart to argue. The watchers started talking to themselves. I tried to follow along with the conversation but they kept mentioning people and places I didn't know so I zoned them out.  
  
Leaning back I closed my eyes. Other than when they occasionally said my name I didn't listen to them. Settling back in my chair I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. This was boring, which should be a good thing, I've lived the non boring slayer life. It was a lot bloodier, if active.  
  
Now to think up a story to use for when the computer guru wants some answers. I had to find a way to say just about everything and at the same time leave out all vampire friends. The smart move would be to keep some of them, same names and everything, and find a way to make them human. I went about thinking up stories for each of my friends that I wanted to keep in the story. As long as he wasn't overly good at catching lies I would be okay. Plus the watcher's will tell me what's going on, and if I didn't like it I'm sure I could run away.  
  
With that decided I felt much better. With a small smile I went back to planning out the story I was going to use tonight. After editing quite a bit, I finally figured it out, memorizing all the details so as to not forget anything. If I messed up just one thing they might see through it, and I couldn't have that happen.  
  
When I was done thinking I realized that everyone was quiet, then I realized that I'd been thinking for several hours. Looking out the window I saw a lot of open fields.  
  
I really was leaving Puyallup. Once again I was starting over, just this time I had a pack of watchers guarding my back. Maybe this will work out, or maybe I'd spend the rest of my life being chased by vampires. Either way, I didn't have a clue where I was, so I'd best make the most of it.  
  
After all, I couldn't very well go home.  
  
  
  
*Clears throat* So... you have the history. It's somewhat complete. Of course I'll add more to it later, but that'll happen when it happens. Again, if you have any questions by all means ask. And thanks for reviews, questions are answered below.  
  
Beyondthesilence: Yes, sorry about spelling. I don't have anyone really editing it for me--yet--so they're quite a few mistakes. I cleared most of the obvious ones through spell check and I'm actually going to look over this again before putting it online. I hope this cleared up the history for you, please keep reading. :)  
  
Buckster: Glad you like it, thanks for the review. *looks around* yeah, that's all I have to say.  
  
gidgetgirl: Of course, thanks for the review, glad you liked it. Now about this request. . . You're in luck. I have a very vague idea for this story so I'm open to just about everything. Oz? I liked him, he was a cool character I'd be happy to throw him in somewhere. *Mind goes into hyper drive as it considers possibilities.* Anyway. . . Liz will talk to everyone, rest assured. I don't know how she's going to deal with people, still trying to figure that out. Last but not least, the love interest. Yes there will be one. With who? *laughs* please don't ask, my mind keeps changing its mind so I'm going to just have to wait until it figures things out. Wish me luck!  
  
Again thanks to my readers!  
  
~Rave 


	4. Chapter 4

The Day Buffy Came Back  
  
Chapter 4  
  
A dagger was flying towards my head. I ducked.  
  
"Oh come on Todd," I taunted, "You can to better than that."  
  
"Yes, and you could have caught it," He said as he picked up a staff from the table behind him. He grinned at me as he slowly twirled the staff. "I'm not going to give you my all If you're not going to do the same."  
  
"Fine then, how many bones do you want broken?" I teased.  
  
Todd smirked, but he knew I wasn't lying. It was our joke, I could slaughter him if I wanted to. He knew it, I new it, but we could still pretend he stood a chance. After all, he was one hell of a fighter.  
  
The one thing that really bugged me about being a slayer is the simple fact that I could beat the crap out of almost any human, even if they had studied different fighting techniques for their entire life. In truth, I shouldn't be able to win. Fighters such as Todd knew so much more than me that it bugged me even to fight them. It wasn't fair for them, and that was wrong. Sure, I could fight vampires and save the world, but I still didn't like having the power.  
  
Todd picked up another staff and tossed it to me. "Ready?" he asked.  
  
"More or less," I answered.  
  
We circled each other slowly. He thrust his staff at me a couple of times. I blocked each one without a problem. I was waiting for him to make a real attack. He thrust one end of the staff at me, but was already throwing the other side before I had a chance to block the first. He kept up the attack, making it hard for me to keep up. He finally hit my hand, which I knew he would do. I let go of that end of the staff and he hit my arm.  
  
The left side of my body was throbbing, a normal human would have had their arm broken. I dropped the staff, knowing that I wouldn't be able to move my good arm fast enough to make it block anything. Todd continued to attack, again and again. I dodged every blow.  
  
"Beth?"  
  
Todd paused and looked at the door to see who said that. I grabbed his staff, pulled it out of his hand and quickly knocked his feet out from under him. Todd fell to the ground before he even had time to see Lloyd at the door.  
  
"So what's the plan?" I asked as I leaned against the staff.  
  
Lloyd casually glanced at Todd as he walked into the room. "Well, I talked to the council, and we have a few more days."  
  
"That's good," Todd muttered as he got to his feet. He took a moment to glare at me before going on. "So is she going out tonight?"  
  
Lloyd nodded. "It wouldn't hurt for Beth to be out for a few hours, but we're leaving tomorrow morning." He stated. He looked at Todd before he went on. "I don't want her out alone, I have a bad feeling about tonight." and with that he left.  
  
Todd looked at me. "If we're going out tonight training's over, I have to get online for a bit." He was already leaving the room, leaving me alone.  
  
"Joy, the boss is gone and the computer guru goes back to work. My life is so fun," I murmured after them.  
  
After putting the staves away I shoved my hands in my pocket and walked slowly out of the room. The entire building was large, but mostly empty. The watchers guild owned a lot of places through out the states, and even more in England. That came in handy when you have to move around a lot. Sometimes we stayed in hotels and other times we stayed in big, empty buildings. It didn't matter where we went though, the vampires always found us. The watchers had several charms and artifacts to help keep us hidden, but the vampires had many more shamans and witches looking for us. So, every two to four weeks we moved.  
  
For the most part our group stayed the same. Lloyd was in charge, he decided when we moved and when we were in trouble. He went mostly on instinct and was usually right on target.  
  
Chris was the guy who did most of the research. I didn't dislike him as much as I thought he was annoying. He loved his books but didn't like having to talk to people. Mostly he just sat around reading some ancient text, and when he talked he said something either completely intelligent or utterly stupid.  
  
Jordan was our driver. Though I'm sure he did other things, all I've seen him do is drive. He talked to me sometimes, but not often so I didn't really know much about him.  
  
Todd was our computer guy. If we needed any information that Chris couldn't find we turned to Todd. While Chris could identify and describe many creatures by memory, Todd could find almost anything online, and the Internet has a lot more than most books.  
  
While all the watchers knew the basics of fighting, Todd was my trainer. Fighting was his hobby, and he was good at it. So he was slowly teaching me. In truth I needed all the help I could get.  
  
Unknown to my watcher friends, while I was now alive, I wasn't exactly one hundred percent slayer. For starters, I didn't have the full strength. Sure I could fight and get knocked down a few times, but I knew what slayer strength was and I wasn't quite there. In its place was instead a higher ability to sense things. Slayers can always tell who's a vampire. It's our sixth sense, we just know. I have a stronger version of that then most slayers. If someone walks in the room I know who it is, if a vampire walks down the street outside I know he's there. It was my new defense mechanism.  
  
Again though, they didn't know about it, not yet at least. My sixth sense was telling me it wouldn't last forever, that it was only helping me until things changed again, and things were changing. Twice so far this summer I had passed out again. Both times I woke up a little more human with a bit of that sixth sense gone. I wasn't sure which one I wanted more, extra strength or the psychic ability. Both helped, but which was better?  
  
I sighed as I walked past Chris's makeshift room. Sure enough he had his nose in a book. He didn't notice me walk by so I didn't say anything to him. My room was small and cramped, like everyone else's. All I really had with me was clothes, and all of those were new, mostly preppy. There hadn't been any time for me to grab any personally belongings before I had left Washington and I hadn't grown attached to anything new.  
  
I blew off the next couple of hours lying on my bed and looking up at the ceiling. All day I had been having a nagging feeling and I wasn't so sure as to why. I didn't sense an abnormal amount of vampires in the area, so they couldn't be here yet. Today had been as normal as any other day this summer.  
  
It was ten o'clock before Todd walked in. He didn't bother knocking, but simply threw a stake in my general direction. It bounced off my stomach and onto the floor.  
  
"Come on, we have vamps to slay," Todd said cheerfully.  
  
I rolled over and grabbed the stake from the floor before standing up and walking over to Todd. "You're supposed to use the stakes on the vampires, not throw them at me," I said with a yawn.  
  
He shrugged while pushing me towards the door. "Come now, let's be grumpy with the vampires, not each other." I started walking on my own and he stopped pushing me. "So anywhere in particular you want to go?"  
  
I shook my head. "I don't even know where we are," I stated. "I just remember getting off the air plane."  
  
"Chicago O'Hare, it's muggy outside, you've been warned," Todd said.  
  
I sighed. I had visited many new places, none quite like western Washington. Some of them I didn't mind, but the muggy ones were annoying. "Why are we here again?" I asked.  
  
"It's a big city, and we're right next to the airport. If we need to we can get lost in it or simply fly away," Todd explained. I had known the answer, but I had heard it too many times that it was getting old.  
  
Todd was right, it was muggy outside. Even though it was late the streets were still crowded and it all looked the same to me. I wasn't sensing any vampires close so I let Todd lead the way.  
  
"Are there any clubs or parks around that vampires might like to hang out in?" I asked?  
  
Todd frowned. "Well, I've never actually been here before, so I'm just wondering." I gave him a don't-get-us-lost look and he just smiled. "Don't worry, I've been keep track of street names," he assured. I wasn't so sure that he completely knew how to get us back, but we could always call Lloyd if we got too lost.  
  
"You know, sense we're not really going anywhere, why don't we get something to eat?" I asked knowing that Todd wouldn't say no to food.  
  
Todd thought a moment before answering. "We're only supposed to be out slaying, but I don't suppose a few French fries or maybe a milkshake," he decided then turned to me grinning. "So where do you want to go?"  
  
"To the next fast food restaurant, I'm not going to be picky tonight," I replied.  
  
"Well there was a Mcdonald's a few blocks back," Todd suggested.  
  
"That works," I said.  
  
Turning around I felt something. Pausing a moment I focused to see where the feeling was coming from, but I didn't sense anything out of the ordinary. Focusing more didn't help any so I stopped. Maybe I was just hungry. Mcdonalds wasn't very far away, and the line wasn't too long. I only got a shake but Todd got two large fries and a large coke. We sat down to eat near the window and I kept a casual watch on the outside.  
  
Across the street I saw a person who caught my eyes. Everything about him screamed vampire. "Hey, Todd, look at that guy," I pointed him out. "What do you think about him?" I asked.  
  
Todd shoved some more fries in his mouth before answering. "He's a vampire, but you would know that."  
  
"Yeah, I should," I murmured. Again I focused to see if I could feel any vampires. As far as I could tell there weren't any out there. "Look, I'm going to head outside, stay in here for a bit, will ya?" I asked. I didn't wait for his answer but got up. I knew he'd try to follow me but instead of doing anything to stop him I walked faster. If I could lose him he'd go back inside and watch out for me.  
  
The vampire was already down the street. I had to jog to catch up to him, but he either didn't care that I was following him or just didn't know that I was here. He turned around the corner and I followed about fifteen seconds after him. Once I got around though he wasn't there.  
  
I sighed. Maybe it was nothing, but something felt wrong. I couldn't tell were the vamp was and I didn't want to go after it alone. I'd get lost and probably stuck in a bad situation. Besides, It was something I should talk to Todd about anyway. Turning back around I walked back to Mcdonalds. Todd wasn't sitting in the window, but the food was still there. Thinking that he might have come after me after all I closed my eyes and searched for him. I couldn't find him, but I could sense about thirty vampires one this block alone. None were very close, and it didn't seam like they were paying attention to me. The moment I focused on them they were gone.  
  
"A reversal spell," I muttered. It was the perfect way to throw me off. I had to get back inside the Mcdonalds and hope that Todd showed up. I couldn't afford to go off looking for him when I wouldn't be able to find him, especially now that I knew that this place was swarming with undead who were trying to keep themselves hidden.  
  
Going back into the restaurant I looked for Todd again, as expected I picked up every vampire outside, and one inside. I'd never been here before, but it was a busy city. Maybe there were always this many vampires. I had mixed feelings to that idea. If they were always here then they wouldn't notice me, if not then we were in big trouble.  
  
Todd walked out of the bathroom, saw me and came right over. "Hey, what was all that about?" He asked.  
  
"How many vampires are normally here in this town?" I asked softly, my mind not really focusing on what was happening now, but instead thinking ahead.  
  
Todd shrugged as he sat down and ate another French fry. "Well, it's a busy town, so there's quite a few, why?"  
  
"Right now there is about thirty vampires on this block, not to mention in other areas," I stated.  
  
Todd blinked. "I'm sorry, did you say thirty?" He asked. I nodded. "Well, I don't think that's normal, maybe it would be best if we headed back."  
  
Again I nodded. "Yeah, you sure we know a way back or do we want to call?" I asked.  
  
Todd leaned back. Brushing a hand through his hair he took a moment to think. "I'm sure I could find the way back, I just might not be quick about it."  
  
"That's okay," I stated softly, still thinking. "We just have to call Lloyd."  
  
"Um... yeah, about that," He murmured, "My cell phone's dead, so unless you have one we have to find a pay phone." He said.  
  
That would set us back. I'm sure there was one outside, but I wasn't big on going out there. Things just felt wrong, that and the big vampire threat were both huge reasons to not go out there. Mcdonald's was a public place though, so they could come in at any time. Of course, that's only a problem if they were really after me.  
  
"So, should I go look for a pay phone?" I asked.  
  
"Not by yourself," Todd said sternly. "Lloyd said I have to watch out for you." He took a moment to think before continuing. "I'm going to see if I can use a phone here. Don't go anywhere.  
  
I surpressed a sigh. He could be helpful in a fight but I preferred to fight alone. Glancing out the window I searched for a close phone booth. There was an intersection not far down the road. I could see a sign for a payphone. Glad that I had a place to go I stood up to meet Todd coming back.  
  
"No phone here," he muttered. "The lady behind the counter insists they're too busy to help us."  
  
"That's okay, I know where a phone is," I stated. "We need to head out now." Todd nodded and grabbed the rest of his fries on the way out.  
  
I kept an eye out for vampires, but as far as I could tell no one was paying any attention to us. We stayed casual walking towards the pay phone but the moment we entered the general area of the gas station I broke out in a sprint. Todd took his time catching up as I searched my pockets for change. I had to wait for someone who was already in the booth, so I fished in my pockets for change. I only had thirty five cents..  
  
"You know, I liked the phones better when it was only a quarter," I muttered to Todd once he caught up. Todd grinned and showed me had had fifty cents already waiting.  
  
I looked back into the booth to see the guy just staring at us. He looked from me to Todd then back to me. I pounded on the booth to get him to hurry up and he grinned. I stepped back as the phone booth opened. "Sorry I took to long," he said in a raspy voice as he walked out. Todd took place. "Have I seen you somewhere before?" the man asked me.  
  
I took a good look at him before turning back to Todd who was busy dialing the number. "No, I don't think so."  
  
"Funny, I do," the man said, his voice suddenly different. I didn't get a chance to look at him before he pushed me aside.  
  
Stumbling backwards I took a second to get to my balance back, giving the guy I now saw was a vampire time to punch the phone booth's door inward, Todd automatically turned around, trying to open the door and get out. The door was stuck tight and wouldn't budge.  
  
"Okay then, this was unexpected," I muttered as I sized up the vampire.  
  
He nodded. "Yes, actually it was," the vamp agreed. I wasn't sure what exactly he meant by that, but I was guessing that the large amount of vampires weren't looking for me. Yet he was one of the boss's vampires else he wouldn't have recognized me so easily. The vampire had changed his appearance entirely, instead of appearing to be an older man he looked young and ready to fight. I glanced at Todd to make sure he was okay. He was still talking on the phone while trying to get out of the phone booth. He wasn't hurt so I wasn't worried yet.  
  
Turning my attention to the vampire I watched him carefully. We didn't have much time for a fight, not when there were so many others around.  
  
Grinning the vampire lunged at me. Stepping to the side I dug my knee into his stomach. His running start gave all the force needed to make it a hard blow. He took a few steps backwards, regaining his stance before launching himself at me in a wave of punches. He wasn't a good fighter so I had no trouble blocking and dodging all his blows. Grabbing his fist I pushed him back. I kicked him before he could attack again, knocking him to the ground. Quickly I pulled out my stake and thrust it into his heart.  
  
Taking a deep breath I got to my feet. I didn't sense the vampires surrounding me, so when I looked up at them I was surprised. Cursing whatever spell they were using I counted the vampires. Twelve. For a moment I stopped breathing. How could I take on twelve vampires? Todd was still locked up and I couldn't get to him without fighting past vampires.  
  
The options that I could come up with were all looking really bad. The only good things was that most of the vampires didn't look like they were planning to attack. It was more as if they were standing guard. A few of the vamps were getting cocky though, they didn't like standing put. Three in particular seamed to be getting ready to attack.  
  
They exchanged glances before moving in on me. I was backed into a wall, making it so I didn't have to watch my back, but I only had so many arms to block punches. I had a stake handy though, and the vampires weren't being very smart. I barely had to work to dust the first one.  
  
Unfortunately after that things started to go down hill. One of the vampires grabbed me while the other threw a few punches. I wished I had met these idiots while I had been at full strength, they'd be dust by now. The problem was, however, that I was having a hard time pulling out of the vampires grasp.  
  
When I finally managed to I blocked a kick, grabbing the vamp's leg as I did so and threw him into the other vamp. They both fell backwards. Scrambling to their feet they prepared to attack.  
  
Suddenly one of them burst into dust. I blinked in surprise and watched as the other followed suit, leaving behind another vampire who was still in human face. He smirked at the pile of dust at his feet before looking up at me.  
  
"I see we have ourselves a slayer," the new vampire drawled. Surprise filled me when I saw who it was. He looked at me and grinned. "Unfortunately though you're all supposed to be else where right now. I can take the slayer myself, get back to your posts." Instantly the vampires scattered, everyone one of them catching the threat in his voice. I tried to follow where they went but there were too many going too fast.  
  
"Well," I murmured as I watched them go, "that was interesting." I turned back to the vampire. "Hello Zeke, what're you doing here?"  
  
Zeke shrugged and shoved his hands into his pocket. "Not looking for you for a change," he murmured.  
  
"Why would you be looking for me?" I asked, having a good idea what the answer might be.  
  
"Well, I'd let you guess but it'd be a waste of time. I think you know the answer," Zeke said with a grin. I knew what he meant. Only one person was looking for me, I was just a little disappointed that Zeke would be working for him. "Actually though, I'm quite surprised that you're here. And we weren't even looking for you."  
  
"Who are you looking for?" I asked.  
  
Zeke just looked at me for a moment, thinking through his answer "No one important," he said finally. Translation to that was that he didn't want to tell me.  
  
Not sure what else to talk about and not wanting to say too much I went for a major switch in topic. "Are we supposed to fight? After all, you are the bad guy now."  
  
"Yes, but you were the slayer first so I'm blaming it on you," Zeke said.  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Like I actually chose to be the slayer," I snapped.  
  
"And I chose to be a vampire?" Zeke snapped back.  
  
"Technically you were a vampire before I was a slayer," I pointed out.  
  
Zeke shrugged again. "True, but I never lied to you about being a vampire." I glared at him, he grinned back.  
  
"Well, I didn't think I was the slayer at the time I met you, so I wasn't lying about it," I said back.  
  
"This is a pointless argument, isn't it?" Zeke asked, stopping our flow of meaningless come backs.  
  
I nodded my agreement. "Yeah, it is."  
  
"So, are we going to fight now?" he asked.  
  
Again I nodded. "Yeah, I think so." In an instant both of us switched gears from being friendly to looking completely serious.  
  
Zeke stood silently. He was still dressed like a punk, today in camo cargo pants and a black shirt with the words "the clowns made me do it" on the front. He looked like a normal guy at the moment, but I knew the moment we actually started fighting he'd switch to his vampire face.  
  
To say I was nervous would be one of the biggest understatements I could ever make. I was terrified. I had seen Zeke fight before. He was strong and fast, and at the moment I wasn't. Not being at full slayer strength really sucked.  
  
Zeke didn't bother to say anything else. He was tired of small talk and ready for action. Barely seeing his movement in time I blocked a punch before pushing him back. He was ready though and had a follow up. This time he hit me, and it hurt. Throwing a punch at him he didn't even bother to block, and even as my hand slammed into his face I knew it hadn't faced him. He grabbed my arm and twisted it.  
  
Hissing in pain Zeke fought back, sliding his leg behind mine he pulled me off my feet while still holding on to my arm. It was my turn to hurt as I bit my tongue to stop from screaming. I hadn't heard anything break, but I still thought he just broke something.  
  
Being near the ground I simply grabbed his leg and pulled. He wasn't expecting that and suddenly lost his balance, letting go of me as he fell.  
  
I forced myself to my feet as I cradled my arm. Trying hard to ignore the pain I watched Zeke closely. He took his time getting up from the ground, chuckling as he did so.  
  
"Well, most people would be dead by now," he said, an almost mocking look on his face. He had some personal joke that I wasn't getting. Suddenly his face turned serious, as if he just remembered something important. "When you die, and I won't be the one to kill you, but when it happens, do you want us to make you a vampire?"  
  
Okay, to forget the sudden change in topic, he was asking me? No, he was asking for my opinion. I could see the decision was already made. I'm not sure why he wanted to know, but he was curious. The answer? There was no way I'd want to be a vampire, but I didn't want to tell him that. I didn't want to answer at all. So I looked away and kept silent.  
  
Zeke sighed softly, understanding that I wasn't going to answer his question. He didn't say anything else either. The silence hung in the air for a moment, then Zeke moved again.  
  
For a moment I was able to keep up with him, punch for punch, even with a broken arm. Then things went bad. Zeke must have wanted to finish it because suddenly he was moving faster than I could. Before I knew it I was thrown to the ground. Taking a deep breath I tried to stand up. Zeke kicked my in the ribs, lifting me off the ground for a moment before I fell back down. I felt another bruise coming on as I realized that I really couldn't fight any more.  
  
Zeke crouched down beside me. He tilted his head to the side as he stared at me. "Had enough yet?" He asked softly.  
  
I couldn't waste my time answering, instead I tried to crawl backwards, but I just didn't have the strength. Zeke smirked. "Still trying to fight," He murmured. He reached out and grabbed my throat, lifting me up by it. I tried to get him to let go by my efforts were meaningless. He punched me once, twice, then through me into a wall. My head smacked against it and again I crumbled to the ground.  
  
I watched Zeke slowly walk up to me. Again he crouched down to my height. "Still want to fight?" he asked with a grin. I turned away, not wanting to look at him. "I couldn't have taken all the fight out of you," he whispered, leaning closer to me, "I know you better than that. You'll never stop fighting."  
  
You don't know me that well, I thought. He won, he could kill me if he wanted to. Instead he was toying with me, but I could tell he wanted me to answer him. I focused my gaze on the wall, trying not to think of Zeke. It wasn't working.  
  
"Liz..." he murmured. I didn't look at him. I felt his hand on my cheek, stroking it softly. "you're bleeding," there was a note in his voice I didn't like. He sounded hungry. It shouldn't have mattered, I already knew I was going to die, but suddenly I was afraid. Not that I hadn't been before, but it was different now. Gut wrenching terror.  
  
I didn't have to ask when he had last feed. He seemed to be able to pick up on that train of thought.  
  
Zeke smirked. "Don't worry, I can't feed on you," he said sarcastically. Though he wouldn't admit it he wasn't happy about it. Zeke never liked someone else telling him what to do, little less who he could feed on. For some reason that didn't help much, I was still afraid. Even without looking at him Zeke could tell. "Are you afraid of being eaten?" He wondered.  
  
Remaining silent I considered the question. Am I afraid? Hell yeah. But was it really bothering me? No, it wasn't. I'd spent the entire summer thinking about what I would do when the vampires finally caught up with me and I couldn't escape. While I was still afraid, I had accepted it.  
  
"Why aren't you talking to me?" He asked, for the first time sounding somewhat aggravated. His hand move to my chin as he gently moved my head to face him. I jerked out of his grasp, trying to look away. He stopped being gentle as he grabbed my face and forced me to look at him. "Why aren't you talking to me?"  
  
"Because you're trying to get me killed," I said bluntly.  
  
He starred strait at me, catching my gaze and not letting it go. "And would you let me live?" He asked. "If I hadn't been winning, would you have let me leave? Knowing that one day I might kill you."  
  
Again we were trapped in silence. I didn't know what else to say. I would have killed him. It wouldn't have been personal, I wouldn't even think about it. My job was to fight him, and his was to fight me. I shouldn't blame him for doing what had to. But I did, and he felt the same about me.  
  
"I suppose this is why vampires and slayers don't become friends," I muttered.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
I knew that there was nothing I could do to get out of this situation but I looked around one last time. People and cars past us by, no one sparing us a glance. There had to be some kind of spell stopping people from seeing us because we were in plain view of just about everything. Continuing my search I saw Todd, still trapped in the phone both watching everything. What he must be wondering... I had forgotten him during the fight, but he had been watching every thing.  
  
"What have you told your friend?" Zeke asked.  
  
I shrugged. "Nothing about you."  
  
"Embarrassed that you hung out with us dead people?"  
  
"No, I just don't think they'd understand."  
  
"Hmm..." Zeke stared at Todd for a moment. "Well, he's edible," he murmured.  
  
My head snapped back to Zeke. Even though he was facing Todd Zeke was staring at me. "Leave him alone," I said firmly.  
  
He turned back to me with a grin. His hand was touching my cheek again, this time to wipe off some of the blood from a cut near my eye. He leaned forward until his face was only inches from mine. "I can't feed off you and I'm very hungry," he stated. "Your friend would make a good meal."  
  
He meant it and it terrified me. Not sure of how to at least save Todd I went with the first plan I could think of. "Were you told not to feed off me or simply not to kill me?"  
  
Zeke didn't answer at first. I could almost see his mind working as he tried to remember. I watched as a slow smile slid across hit lips. He moved his head so that it was closer to my ear. "I'm not allowed to kill you-- or bite you," He stated. "But I can get a taste." Again he moved closer to me. I felt his face change as he went into vamp mode, but he didn't attack me. Instead I felt his mouth on my cut as his tongue began to lap up blood. He slowly worked the cut near my eye before moving onto a larger cut that happened to be on my neck.  
  
I've heard that the blood of a slayer was like a drug to vampires. Once they got a taste they always wanted more. It didn't matter how many slayers a vampire might kill, the satisfaction only lasted a few moments and then the blood was gone. It was a rush, intoxicating, but it always faded.  
  
When Zeke touched me he didn't care who I was, I was a slayer and he was hungry. I waited for him to lose control, to forget his orders and drive his fangs into my neck. He didn't. In a few seconds he pulled away from me, not in complete control but not out to kill me either. I wasn't sure what was going through his head, but there was hunger in his eyes, if nothing else my blood had only increased it.  
  
After a few seconds to maintain control of himself Zeke turned back to me, completely serious. He didn't say anything as he pulled out some charm necklace and put it over my head. I didn't struggle, if I knew what it was I would have.  
  
The moment Zeke let go the necklace seamed to set itself up against my skin, and once it was attached to me I stopped moving. Suddenly I was tired. I didn't want to move or think or do anything. Sitting up was starting to hurt and I just wanted to lie down.  
  
Zeke stood up and moved back to stare at me. It hurt to watch him and try to think about him and what he might be doing, but I knew that I had to. I ignored the pain in my mind as I attempted to figure out what was going on.  
  
He'd put a necklace on me? Right... I think so, I couldn't remember. Yes, yes he did. Did it have a charm? Something to mess with my mind? Why would that matter?  
  
I groaned as a sharp pain tore through my mind.  
  
Yes, there was a charm. It had to be messing with me now. What was Zeke doing now? Walking, yes I think that's it. Walking where? I know where... Towards Todd, yes that it. Todd... phone both... trapped. He's going to kill him. Kill who? Todd. Not thinking strait... should stop... just stop...  
  
No! Todd, got to help. How? Can't think, should stop. It hurts. Help Todd. Forget Todd, just relax. Hurts to move, hurts to think, just stop. No... have to stop Zeke.  
  
I forced myself to lift my head as bolts of pain shot through me. Zeke was almost to the phone booth, and I had already forgotten what I was doing.  
  
Zeke vampire, going to kill Todd. Yes, that's right. Wait... yes, Zeke gave me necklace. It hurts. Can't move. It hurts. . .  
  
All this time I was watching him, suffering through the pain that came with trying to move. Knowing that I had to do something I tried pushing myself up a little. With my hands on the ground for support I pushed myself onto my feet. I used the wall for support as I pulled myself to a stand up position. Then I just stood there. I couldn't remember why I was standing. The pain swept over me in waves and I only wanted it to stop.  
  
Watching Zeke was the only thing that kept me standing. I some how knew I had to stop him. Why and from doing what I didn't care. It didn't seam important enough to figure out.  
  
"Zeke!" I called out.  
  
He paused before turning to look with a look of surprise and amusement. "You never do stop fighting..."  
  
He didn't get a chance to say anything else for some unseen force suddenly ran into him, pushing him hard into the wall of the gas station, so hard that I felt it shake.  
  
Blinking I tried to sort out what was going on as I fought the pain back. Who attacked Zeke? Did someone attack Zeke? What was going on?  
  
I was dimly aware of the attack taking place in front of me. Zeke didn't stand a chance. He wasn't prepared for what he was facing, he had been taken completely by surprise and it was a matter of minutes before he was on the ground, not dusted but unconscious.  
  
My mind was still catching up on the fight while the winner approached me. recognition sparked, but I couldn't think or see clear enough to know any more but that.  
  
"Liz, we have to get out of here," the man said. I wasn't sure who he was, but he had to be a vampire. The watchers called me Beth.  
  
I stared blankly. Realizing that Todd was okay I smiled. I didn't have to feel the pain, Zeke was stopped. My body collapsed on itself and my mind went blank as I stopped fighting the lull that pulled me into nothingness. The pain was gone and no thoughts ventured into my mind.  
  
I barely heard the words "What're you doing?" and though I acknowledged their existence I didn't know what they meant. "Oh, damn. Stupid necklace," I heard at the same time the necklace was yanked off my throat. "Come on, we have to go."  
  
Arms supported me as I tried to stand. My mind was coming back to me, just not very quickly. Not being able to stand on my own the man held me up. "You back yet?" He asked.  
  
My thoughts were smoothing out enough that I could understand, but everything was still blurry. "Get Todd," I murmured. "He knows what to do."  
  
"Curse it," the voice muttered and he suddenly let go of me. I fell to the ground with a thud, not sure of what happened. I think the man walked over to the phone booth and literally tore off the door. Was he a vampire? What else would have the strength, yet why does he help me? The same hands that first helped me up were back, and this time they didn't bother trying to get me to stand. He merely lifted me up. I heard conversation between the two men, but I wasn't sure what was said. Before I knew it I was moving while my mind slowly rebuilt itself.  
  
When finally we stopped I was thinking clearly and could almost see strait. "Let me down?" I requested, not sure whoever was holding me would do so. He hesitated a moment, but finally put me on my feet. I held on to him for a moment until I got balanced. After a few minutes of standing there, almost falling then catching myself I thought I was ready to go. I glanced around to see us in a half filled parking lot.  
  
"Okay," I said softly, "What happened?"  
  
"I called Lloyd, he should be here soon," Todd started. "Your... friend saved our lives, but I'm going to need a lot of answers once we get home."  
  
Nodding to show that I understood I turned to my 'friend' so that I could get a good look at him. It took my awhile to see the familiar features below the large reflective sunglasses and black cap. His face was hidden in shadows but I still knew who it was. Upon my realization I unconsciously took a step back, suspicion coming quickly to mind.  
  
"Alucard!" I said with surprise.  
  
He made a grim grin with a nod. "Long time no see," he said in a sarcastically friendly tone.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded.  
  
Smirking he glanced around us. "You're the one who's not supposed to be here hun. Seer said I'd be showing up, didn't mention you."  
  
"What seer?" asked Todd, clearly worried.  
  
"The boss's, who else?" Alucard said as if anyone would know. "He's the one tracking us, that seer. You've got some nice spells helping you though, so I'm the one they've been catching."  
  
Puzzled I asked, "Why would they be chasing you? You work for him!"  
  
"Use to, yes," Alucard murmured. "Then all sorts of bad things happened. and now here we are, together again."  
  
"Not for long, you're getting out of here," I stated.  
  
Alucard grinned at me. "Really?" He said with a glint in his eye. "You couldn't make me leave if you tried. You got you ass kicked once tonight, do we really need to repeat that?" I glared at him, he ignored it.  
  
"If you don't mind answering, why would you want to save us?" asked Todd, being very polite about all of this.  
  
Alucard glanced at him for a moment. "Because my buddy Zeke is pissed and it'd be nice to have a slayer around to distract him with."  
  
"So she's bait?" Todd asked, hiding his frown.  
  
"For now, this time tomorrow she'll be able to fight him off," he stated. "Thought she'd make good bait, too.".  
  
"Fight off Zeke?" I asked skeptically. I just got the crap kicked out of me by one vampire. There was no way I could be of help to him. Yet the look he was giving me said otherwise. "What do you know that I don't?" I asked.  
  
Alucard smirked as he glanced around the empty parking lot, "You'd be surprised how much I know about you."  
  
I suddenly felt uneasy. He meant what he said, and if he knew so much, then who else did? And what exactly did he mean by that.  
  
"How will she be able to help you?" Todd asked, sounding quite polite and courteous, as if he were talking to someone who he actually liked.  
  
Alucard looked Todd up and down, from his blond hair to his Nike shoes. He took him in with a glance and instantly formed an opinion of him. "You've heard of the prophecy, well I've seen it. I know what's coming next, while you don't." He stated.  
  
Todd and I exchanged a look. Right now we had to figure something out. Were we going to let him stay or not. There were advantages to both sides, but also problems. We didn't even know why Alucard was helping us, or if he was just setting us up.  
  
"Why is Zeke after you?" I asked, knowing that his answer would have to make up my mind. We didn't have time to drill him for information.  
  
Alucard knew what was going on, and he was watching us carefully, but when he thought about the question he could only grin. "Well, I tired to kill the boss."  
  
Raising an eyebrow Todd and I exchanged looks. "Maybe we should ditch you. I'm not sure that your past won't be a bit of a liability." Todd said. Alucard stared at him for a moment before turning to me.  
  
"Well, do you even believe me?" He asked as he searched for someone to be on his side. There was no denying it that if Alucard was telling the truth he had nothing to lose coming to us. If the boss's men found him he was dead.  
  
Again I looked at Todd. He met my eyes and in an instant I knew we were in agreement. "Yeah, I believe you," I said, not sure whether or not I was lying.  
  
Todd suddenly pointed at the road. "They're here," he said, indicating where our pick up van was coming from.  
  
We watched in silence as the Van came into the parking lot. It parked right in front of us and the door opened right away. Lloyd motioned us inside, but gave Alucard a good look. He looked to me cradling my arm for a moment before offering to help my in.  
  
Looking from the van to Alucard I knew that I had to decide weather or not he was coming with us. He did have a lot of possible information, but I wasn't really sure if he was telling the truth. Besides, I could tell that Todd didn't want him to come. I bit my lip in thought, aware of the lack of time. Vampires were still in the area, we had to get out of here.  
  
With a sigh I climbed into the van, prepared to leave Alucard behind. "Liz?" I heard him ask. Hesitating for just a moment I wasn't sure whether or not to leave him here. Taking a deep breathe I turned around.  
  
"Thanks for saving me, but you can't come along," I said flatly.  
  
Alucard stared back at me with a smile on his face. Only his eyes betrayed his feelings. He was scared, and for good reason. He too was being chased, and he didn't have a place to go for protection. He glanced around the parking lot for a moment, searching for something to help him. When he turned back to me his smile was gone leaving behind it a look of desperation.  
  
Suddenly things got blurry, Alucard's form looked like a blob of color before once again being Alucard. I blinked back dizziness while trying to figure out what was wrong. The problem was that I knew this feeling. I had suffered through it before and I knew what was coming next. I felt my heart rate speed up and my breath quicken, but I couldn't afford to pass out yet. Not being able to stop myself I collapsed, falling out of the van as I did so. I heard the watcher's cry out, asking what was wrong.  
  
Hands grabbed me before I hit the ground. I could hear and see what was going on, I just couldn't move. My sight was slightly limited at the moment anyway, I was staring into something dark and had no view of what was actually going on. Something new was happening, and I wasn't sure exactly what.  
  
I tired to calm down, but my body wasn't listening to me. It took me a few minutes to realize that once again Alucard was holding me, and at the moment he was arguing with my watchers.  
  
"Look, I know what's going on, why this is happening to her," Alucard insisted. "If you let me go with you I can help you."  
  
Right about now I was ready to agree with Alucard. If I could only talk I would tell everyone to shut up and let him tag along. We were wasting time and I needed to figure out what was going on. If Alucard said he knew, then I was ready to take a chance.  
  
Alucard was in the middle of trying to explain something to the watchers when he suddenly stopped. I could feel his body tense for a moment. He shifted me for a moment and reached into his jacket. I felt something cold on my left wrist and heard a click, as if something locked into place. through out all of his movements I heard Alucard talking.  
  
"We're out of time. The vampires are moving quickly towards us. You have two choices. We can stay around and chat until they catch up and kill us, or you can take me with you. Liz here has a broken arm and it's already healing wrong, you need to help her. She's going to be out of it for the next twenty-four hours or so. You don't have time to fight me, so let me in." Alucard finished his speech and waited.  
  
"Hand her to us and you can come in," I heard Jordan say, clearly agreeing that this was taking too long.  
  
Alucard raised his arm, making it so that whatever he had put on mine was pulling my arm with it. that was my broken arm and it hurt, but I couldn't say anything and at the moment my entire body was feeling off, so it wasn't that bad.  
  
"We're handcuffed together, I'm wearing a bullet proof vest so you can't stake me and I'll block any attack on my neck. You're not leaving me behind," with that said he carefully picked me up and helped me into the van.  
  
I felt hands moving me around and then there was more talking. Lloyd picked up my arm, ignoring the fact that Alucard had to move his with me. Carefully he figured out what was wrong with it and went about fixing it. Right then I would have done something if I had been able to. I'm not sure if I would have screamed or yelped, but I would have done something to show how much it hurt. He quickly made a makeshift sling for my arm and let it rest.  
  
I could see everyone in the van through half closed eyes. Jordan was already taking us away, speeding with every chance he got. He had this uncanny ability to avoid police men, or at least slow down whenever one showed up. With everything illegal he did he had not once been pulled over.  
  
There was a very uncomfortable silence as everyone stared at Alucard who was forced to sit next to me. Alucard sat at ease. He didn't have a problem with anything that was going on. He had at last got his way and was being taken out of danger by the slayer and her watchers. Knowing more than any of us about what was going on he held the advantage, but he didn't seam to care.  
  
I listened as Todd explained everything, glad to know what he knew so that I would be able to explain everything that happened. Not once did they ask Alucard for clarification on tonight's events. When at last they did talk to him Lloyd was the one who spoke.  
  
"You claim to have seen the prophecy?" he asked.  
  
Alucard nodded. "In many forms, actually. The original I saw only once, about two hundred years ago."  
  
"Yes, and that's going to help," Jordan muttered from the front seat.  
  
Alucard nodded agreement, but still wore a smile. "No worries there. I'm sure you'd like to hear the exact words the boss is telling everyone, and the exact words he has. Not to mention the original language and who he has watching us. . ."  
  
"You've proved your point," Todd muttered, "So get to telling us something already.  
  
Chuckling Alucard shook his head. "Nah, not yet. We have time, and I'm hungry. Maybe after a meal. Besides, you're not in a big rush, you have plenty of time. Liz here is the one who needs to know everything anyway, and I'm not sure if she can hear this."  
  
I wanted to tell them that I was getting every word, but I don't think that was what everyone wanted me to hear.  
  
"Fine, we'll wait for Beth," Chris muttered from the back seat. He had been very uncomfortable ever sense Alucard had come into the van. "Where are we going, anyway?"  
  
Lloyd looked hard at Alucard as he considered the question. "We have to pick up our supplies and find away to transport your books. We have until tomorrow night, that way we can drag this. . . vampire with us on a plane."  
  
Alucard's smile widened. Yes, he had gotten his way. For now he was safe, and tomorrow I would know why I had gone into this in between state. He was right, we had time, but it was getting hard waiting for answers.  
  
Especially when they were sitting right next to me and I couldn't even ask for them.  
Hey! Sorry it took a bit of time to get this chapter out. My muse abandoned me over the four day weekend then showed up today during math class. Go figure. But hey, another unusually long chapter. It's weird, normally mine are really short until I get to the end of the story. I blame it on too many ideas rushing through my head. *shrugs* oh well. It's official, unless the next chapter gets really long and I split it in two (probably won't) then it's the last before Elisabeth joins the scoobies. She'll jump in at the episode "First Date" which was a good episode, but this week's was better. She finally got around to calling everyone idiots. On to the thank yous:  
  
only one? That makes it easy:  
  
Beyondthesilence: Ah, you can always criticize! And Spike. how do I put this without saying too much. Spike is the one person that there is absolutely no chance of Elisabeth have a love interest with. Except for Giles, he's just too old. As for other stories, I have two Gundam Wing stories completed, so if you like Anime go ahead and read them, but that's it. Glad you like it thanks for the review!  
  
Until next time!  
  
Rave 


	5. Chapter 5

*ATTENTION* If you know a web site where I could get a complete and detailed summery of the episode "First Date" that was on a few weeks I would very much appreciate it if you would review and tell me it. Also, web sites where I might find direct quotes from the episode would also be helpful. Thanks a ton, on with the chapter!  
Chapter 5  
  
We were in Texas. There was nothing wrong with the state itself, unless it's summer, really hot out when your air conditioning's not working very well, and your watcher is telling you that you still have to practice. Then we have a problem.  
  
The fact that we hadn't come across a new vampire for the past two months didn't matter. I still needed to work, and this week we were working on swords.  
  
The training room was the largest in our house, which was basically an over sized shack with a basement. The basement was the biggest open area so that's where we worked. The windows were covered on one side, blocking out the sunlight. Weapons were lined up on the wall, everything in the best of shape.  
  
I was standing in the middle of the training mat, Todd standing near by, both of us were sweating and tired, and if it wasn't for Lloyd watching us Todd would have called a break and we would be resting right now. Fortunately Todd and Lloyd were taking the time to criticize me so I was sort of getting a break.  
  
"You're speed was good, but your style's a little off. You need to work on. . ." and the list went on. My arm needed to be held differently, I needed to change my stance, I wasn't aiming right, everything was just a little off. I tuned it all out and considered how nice a glace of orange juice might be.  
  
"Oh well you shut up already!" Alucard yelled from his dark corner. He was sitting on his cot, glaring at us, irritated that we wouldn't let him get some sleep.  
  
Both watchers glanced at him. He was trapped in a cage that we built when we first got here. Alucard agreed that it was a step up from being chained to the wall, but he still didn't like it. After having him around for a year we had gotten use to his complaints, and whether or not they would admit, the watchers actually listened to what he said.  
  
Alucard had this annoying habit to tell us something, or at least to hint at it, then to seam to forget what he had been talking about or give us only half the information, but we had been able to piece together quite a few things over the year. The first thing was that Buffy was alive again, that was a surprise, but Alucard said that if she hadn't come back to life I wouldn't have either.  
  
It had been a month before he had explained that, and we still were fuzzy on details. Basically what we knew is that I had to be the third slayer, So there had to be two others. At the moment they were Buffy and Faith.  
  
The prophecy that he kept refereeing to wasn't something short and simple. According to Alucard, it was a book, a long book, on the whole story of what happens, or on the many things that could happen. He also mentioned that it was written during the time he was alive, but he never mentioned where or in what language.  
  
"Alucard, if we bug you so much I'd be happy to get you some ear plugs, and a gag," Todd muttered.  
  
Alucard ignored the gag comment while answering, "If you two are going to be drilling her then I'd love the plugs. Frankly though, she doesn't need your comments. How many vampires is she going to be fencing with anyway? She'd do better with a stake."  
  
Todd took a moment to glare at him. "Yes, well, how many vampires have we seen around here?" he asked. There hadn't been any, something to do with the mystical energies that were keeping us safe. Vampires didn't like it, but some demons thrived in it. Those demons did use swords.  
  
Alucard must have been thinking the same thing so he simply shrugged and looked away. "She still has no need for your comments. If she was going for the kill I guarantee you she wouldn't make a mistake," he stopped to smile for a moment, as if remembering something funny. "Yes, that would be fun to watch."  
  
"And how do you know so much?" Lloyd asked, hoping for a real answer instead of one of Alucard's more common riddles.  
  
Alucard turned to me for a moment, carefully looking me over. "Just a hunch I have," he murmured in his half serious half joking voice. That normally meant that he didn't want to talk about it.  
  
"Bloody hell Alucard," Todd muttered. "For once can't you just tell us something strait out? God, I have half a mind to let Beth stake you already."  
  
Smirking Alucard got to his feet. "Fine then, if you feel that way, let me fight her. Sword combat. I bet you a pint of blood that if she goes all out not only will her performance be perfect, but it'll be something you've never seen before." Coming from Alucard that meant he was sure of himself. He was never one to risk his meal being taken away unless he knew he would win.  
  
Todd knew that so he took a moment to consider the bet. The fact that Alucard was so sure of himself was intriguing. "This doesn't have anything to do with the prophecy? You got me last time with that I won't make that mistake again."  
  
Grinning Alucard took a moment to think himself. "Well, in a sense it has something to do with the prophecy, but no it wasn't written in it as far as I know. Hell, Liz's life is a legend to some people, either that or a tragedy, I'm sure she can fight off one measly vamp."  
  
That was actually his way of avoiding the topic.  
  
Todd quickly looked to Lloyd for permission. Lloyd didn't look too sure of the idea, but he grabbed a cross for the weapon wall and nodded his approval. That was all Todd needed to step forward with a key, well, several keys. He unlocked four locks before opening the door to Alucard's cage.  
  
Alucard knew the drill. He wasn't let out much, and he knew if he ever attacked we would do our best to kill him. It was all explained to him the first time he was told to get in one. The rules were simple. He would get blood once a day, he was to remain at least a foot away from the edge of the cage when someone was near it. He was to stand away from the door when it opened. He couldn't kill anyone when leaving it. He was to follow all other instructions. As I said, quite simple.  
  
Alucard casually stepped out. He paused before moving on, and I saw why. We hadn't covered up the windows on our side of the room and he would get burnt if he stepped into the light. He motioned to the windows impatiently.  
  
"Wait, you never asked me if I would fight you," I said, suddenly getting an idea.  
  
Rolling his eyes Alucard sighed. "Fine, whatever. I must warn you though, I don't care how hard you fight, I'm going to kill," he raised a hand to shut the watchers up. "No, don't argue. I have no doubt that she'll be able to stop me from killing her, if not you have those lovely cross bows and axes, I'm sure you can at least get the shades off the windows soon enough to stop me.  
  
Again the watchers were about to argue, but this time I stepped in. "No, it's okay. I just have one condition." Alucard raised an eyebrow curiously. I didn't grin, but I wanted to. I had a way of checking just how serious Alucard was. There was no way around it. "If you lose the bet, you have to tell me your real name."  
  
Alucard's face flashed surprise before quickly returning to the more familiar grin. "Eck, should've seen that coming. Hmm. . . Now that does through in a twist," He stopped to seriously consider how he should answer. While he treated it like his personal joke I knew keeping his name secret meant something to him, though I didn't know why. That was why he had chosen such a common name as a cover, he could claim it was a joke and no one would push it. I couldn't help it though, I was curious.  
  
"Fine then, it's a deal. Double the blood when I win this bet and we're game," Alucard finally said. His chin was set stubbornly and I knew he truly had no doubt that he would win this bet. That didn't mean, however, that he would go easy on me. That wasn't his style.  
  
Todd nodded to the new conditions. "Yes, very well then. For the swords," he quickly selected two of the actual fighting ones, not the practice swords we had been using earlier. Handing one to Alucard before giving me one he went to secure the curtains. "I suppose we should set boundaries, so I suggest that you stay on the mat. We will allow exceptions, but try to keep it close." Once the windows were secure he quickly joined Lloyd on the sidelines. "Don't suppose the Jordan might want to watch this?" he asked.  
  
Lloyd considered the option. "Yes, maybe we should ask him."  
  
"Oh come on now, just let us fight," Alucard snapped.  
  
Lloyd gave him his 'I'm in charge' look and left the room. A few minutes later not only did Jordan stroll in but Chris came as well.  
  
Jordan looked on with casual interest, examining each of us before moving a few knives to the side so he could sit on a table. Chris looked a little nervous, but he always looked that way. He followed Jordan to the table, but pulled the chair out from behind it before taking his seat.  
  
Alucard coughed to get attention. "Can we start now?"  
  
"Of course, please begin," Todd said, as if it was just a normal training exercise.  
  
I made the mistake of blinking as Todd said that, and because of it I almost missed Alucard's attack. Instinct took over and I lifted my sword to block it without even thinking. The moment our swords touched Alucard jumped back then attacked again. I began to relax a little as I adjusted to the faster than human speed.  
  
The adjustment was easy. Ever sense the incident in Chicago I had been at full strength. No, I had been better than full strength. Not only was I faster and stronger than I had been when I first became a slayer, I was also seeing things more clearly. I'd fight a demon, or just be practicing, and just like right now, I'd feel like I had done it before. It felt as if it was easy, as if I had always been this fast. Alucard's only opinion to that was to mutter, "So you're as strong as a demon, you're the slayer after all."  
  
He had known I'd get this strong though. Alucard knew so many things, and he wouldn't say it, but you could just tell. He seamed so smug with al his knowledge that it was nice to catch him by surprise.  
  
At the moment though that wasn't happening. The moves we were making felt routine. I knew them, but so did he. For every attack I made he knew it was coming and had the required counter, and vice versa. The fight seemed to be little more than a warm up. I felt that we were starting to repeat ourselves so I backed up, away from the fight. Funny thing was that Alucard did the same thing.  
  
"Ready for something hard?" He asked.  
  
Not waiting for an answer he moved again. Expecting his attack I met it, and then he were moving too fast for me to keep up. I blocked his attack, then blocked another, barely being able to keep up with him. I was falling behind and I was beginning to doubt that I could do this. Suddenly Alucard tripped me and I was on the ground. I rolled onto my stomach to avoid his sword, then rolled again as I felt it coming at me. Staring up at Alucard I saw him swing again, and suddenly things changed.  
  
My mind focused on one thing, Alucard. His sword became a part of him and I was able to see clearly exactly what would happen. There was no thought involved in moving my sword, everything was instinct. His sword crashed into mine. Some part of my mind was telling me that my arm hurt from the blow, but that part wasn't controlling things. There were no thoughts to the part that was.  
  
In a moment I was on my feet. I stood still, waiting for Alucard's attack. He paused for a moment, staring at me very hard as he searched for something. In an instant he found whatever he had been looking for and grinned. In a moment he was once again the cocky, arrogant vampire that I had first met, but at the same time he knew he wasn't going to win.  
  
All of that happened at once, and then he attacked. My sword was raised to block before I realized I had moved. Then I was attacking with such speed and force that I didn't bother to try to follow my own movements, I couldn't keep up with myself.  
  
Alucard was losing ground quickly. I pushed him back further and further, and the more I did the happier he seamed.  
  
I swung the sword at his neck and he grabbed my arm before swinging his sword for my neck. Twisting I threw myself to the side. My arm twisted out of his hold as I hit the ground. Even as I was rolling though I got back onto my feet and was ready for what came next.  
  
The fight went on, but we weren't getting anywhere and I was starting to slow down. Knowing that whatever was giving me my edge was going away I started to panic, and that made things worse. Alucard saw it, however, and suddenly he was caught up in my discomfort. As quickly as it came his arrogance faded. Just as quickly his attacks changed, and somewhere in the back of my mind I knew what he was doing.  
  
Each swing was like a memory, and my body responded to the memory. The problem was that this wasn't me. I was playing out someone else's actions and something was wrong with this memory. Even as I took the upper hand I knew that things weren't right, even if this was how the memory happened the out come had been wrong.  
  
Suddenly his sword came at my head from above, and this time I reached out and grabbed it. The force drove part of it into my skin, but for the most part I was able to keep it at a safe angle. With Alucard's guard down I stared at him. I saw him looking back at me and for a moment I had it, I knew when and where this had happened.  
  
Then I shoved my sword into his heart, and everything vanished.  
  
Letting go of both swords I took a step back in confusion. Something had happened, something important. I just didn't know what. The room was filled with noise and none of it was making it to my head. My body was numb, but that was going away, just not as quickly as whatever had been in control of me.  
  
It hadn't been something else though, that was me. Just a part of me I didn't know existed.  
  
Alucard had known though, that's why he had made that bet. Somehow he had known exactly what would happen. I shuddered. That was a scary thought. If he knew that, then what else did he know? A lot. Definitely a lot.  
  
Laughter brought me out of my state of shock. Alucard was lying on the floor with my sword sticking out of his heart, laughing. No one else had moved.  
  
"Be a dear and get this sword out of me," Alucard asked me cheerfully. If I hadn't felt so bad for stabbing him in the first place I wouldn't have helped, but the nagging feeling that I had done something wrong led me to retrieve my sword. He watched me for a moment as I quickly dropped the sword once I pulled it out of him. He was clutching his chest as blood pored out. We all knew he would live, but it was still unsettling to watch.  
  
"So, how bout you help me back into the cage and get me a bandage and my blood?" Alucard suggested.  
  
None of us moved at first. Surprisingly Chris was the one to break the silence. "Right, a bandage," he murmured as he quickly got around to grabbing one. He quickly walked up to Alucard then stood awkwardly as if he wasn't sure of what to do.  
  
Alucard pushed himself to his feet as he smirked at Chris. He easily took the bandage from Chris. I wondered how long he would be able to stay on his feet before the wound would catch up with him.  
  
Lloyd spoke up as Chris hurried back to his spot. "That was quite a performance," he started, but like everything it brings up more questions. Would you care to explain what just happened, Alucard?"  
  
Shaking his head Alucard merely shrugged Lloyd's question off. "Nothing to explain. We fought, she won. Nice job, too," he added to me. Nodding I gulped. Too good of a job, there was no way I knew how to fight like that.  
  
"Anyway, my blood?"  
  
Jordan hopped off the table. "Yeah, I'll get tha-" he paused. "Did you hear something?"  
  
Everyone's focus changed as we turned to Jordan. He was just standing, listening. I hadn't heard anything, and neither had Alucard. Maybe we just weren't listening.  
  
"There it was again," Jordan said.  
  
Alucard nodded, "Yeah, I heard it that time. You're not expecting anyone are you?" he asked.  
  
"No," Lloyd said. He was watching Jordan, who was still listening for what I couldn't here. When Jordan looked up his attention was on the windows, Alucard was staring at them too.  
  
Turning to try to see what the deal was someone suddenly tackled me as Alucard yelled "Duck!"  
  
I saw Jordan roll over and get off me before turning to see a knife in the floor some feet away and the broken window where it came from. From the angle of the knife I was guessing it was aimed at my heart.  
  
"Get up," Jordan said as he pulled me to my feet.  
  
"It's sunlight, they aren't vampires," I stated.  
  
Jordan was shaking his head. "No, not vamps. Damn, I don't have a clue," he was muttering more to himself than to me.  
  
Suddenly there was a crash,, and the basement was being invaded. Three of the windows were broken and people were coming in; four people from each window.  
  
There wasn't time to get a good look at them, but I got a clear view of their weapon of choice: A deadly looking knife which I'm sure they were quite good with. Four of them came at me and I dived for the closest weapon, Alucard's sword.  
  
One of them dived at me with his knife. Grabbing the sword I held it up to block him from me. He ran right into it. The body collapsed onto me and I didn't have time to get the sword out of it. Instead I grabbed his own knife and used it to defend myself against the other three demons.  
  
I slit one of their throats and another ended with his own knife in his heart. When I finished with him I faced the fourth, just in time to see a dagger drive into his forehead, right above where his eyes should have been, but instead were scares xed into his sockets. I watched the body fall before turning to see who had thrown the dagger.  
  
Jordan stood beside the table he had been sitting at earlier fighting off two of the demons while behind him Chris stood shaking. I was sure the dagger had come from that direction but I didn't know who threw it, then for just an instant Chris stood up strait and let loose a dagger I hadn't know he had been holding. It hit its target dead on, dropping another of the demons.  
  
Surprise didn't get the chance to set in. While my mind was in awe that Chris could actually help in a fight my body was responding to the continued fight. Todd and Lloyd were handling their demons well enough, and Alucard was working his way along the wall, avoiding the broken windows and the sunlight.  
  
When the demons saw I was without an attacker they came at me, the first at a rush. I ducked and flipped him over my shoulder then rose back up to grab another's arm before he could stab me. Twirling him around I threw him into a wall, and then dodged another dagger before delivering a kick.  
  
Before I knew it I was fighting next to the cage, and while I wasn't doing bad I was fighting too many demons at once. Alucard was leaning against the door to the cage, slowly letting the hole in his chest heal. Getting an idea I grabbed the closest demon and threw him into Alucard. Both of them fell back into the cage and I swung the door shut, locking it in place.  
  
"What the. . ." Alucard yelled, "You can't leave me in here with him!"  
  
"Can and will, take care of him for me? Thanks." I ignored Alucard's protests as I continued with the fight. He would take care of himself or get killed, either way the odds were getting better and after another knife in the heart and breaking a demon's neck I stood alone among a sea of black robbed demons.  
  
The watchers stood around the room, each of them responsible for several of the dead demons. I heard a cry from behind me and then a bunch of curses followed by a thud.  
  
"Damn it slayer! You almost got me killed!" Alucard yelled. I ignored him.  
  
Turning to Lloyd who stood panting next to Todd. "Glad to know we can all fight, but who were these guys?" I kicked own of the corpses. "What are they doing here?"  
  
Lloyd rubbed his eyes as he tried to think things out. "I don't know, they look familiar. I've probably seen a picture somewhere. . ."  
  
"There bringers you idiot!" Alucard yelled from behind me. "I don't know why or how but you've ticked off The First and it sent bringers. Damn it, you're going to get me killed."  
  
"Quite yelling," Jordan snapped. "Are you sure they were bringers?"  
  
"What're bringers?" I asked, but my question went unheard as Alucard talked over me.  
  
"Of course I'm sure. You don't joke about The First. You don't even begin to joke about The First."  
  
"Why would it be after us though?" Asked Chris. "The First doesn't usually mess with slayers, and how would you know what a bringer is?"  
  
"What're bringers?"  
  
Alucard growled under his breath. "You don't try to figure out The First. You run, and fast."  
  
"But how do you know they're bringers?" Chris asked.  
  
"What're you talking about?"  
  
"I've been around for over a thousand years. Plenty of time to run into bringers."  
  
Todd was nodding. "Yes, that makes sense, but this is a problem. We need to know what going on."  
  
"Agreed," added Lloyd. "I'll call the council right away. Alucard's right, The First isn't someone to be messed with."  
  
"I asked, who's The First?" This time I shouted to make sure they could hear.  
  
Everyone turned to me. "Bloody hell," Jordan muttered. "I'm going to call the coven to see what they know." he said as he walked out the door leaving the others to explain.  
  
Following his pattern of unusual events Christ was the first to talk. "The first evil. We have a volume on it, but it doesn't say much. The bringers are its minions. The first can take on the appearance of any dead person, but it can't touch anything. The bringers take care of the killing."  
  
It was my turn to rub my eyes, and I realized I was rubbing them with bloody hands. "Ah crap. I need a shower." With a sigh I took a moment to plan things out. "Chris, get Alucard his blood, he lost a lot in the fight we might need him later-"  
  
"So you can lock me in the cage with them," Alucard growled.  
  
"-Lloyd call the council, I'll be back to clean this up. I need to get out of here," with that I followed Jordan's example and walked out of the room.  
  
My mind was still on the fight--both fights. There was too much to think about and I didn't have the effort to bother. Walking to the bathroom I quickly stripped and walked into the shower. After turning the shower on cold I just stood there and let the water fall on me.  
  
Closing my eyes I relaxed. For a moment I wasn't thinking about the bringers or what went on with Alucard. I was just standing there in peace. Then I opened my eyes and saw blood under my fingernails and the peace was shattered. Groaning I grabbed the soap and began to scrub. Hopefully the bringers would be easy to clean up. Then at least when I showered again I might not have to scrub as much.  
  
I spent at least half an hour cleaning before I finally stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel. I wrapped it around myself and walked to my bedroom. Quickly I got dressed, putting on sweats and a long sleeved t-shirt despite the hot weather. I didn't have time to worry about my hair so I let it hang loose, though I brushed it on the way to the training room.  
  
Chris and Todd were already on clean up duty while Alucard laid on his caught sipping blood. The bringer in his cage had it heart ripped out. I was glad I hadn't seen that.  
  
Todd saw me walk in and gave me a weak grin. "Well, we have our work cut out for us. Lloyd and Jordan are still getting info."  
  
I nodded as I stared at the carnage. Not sure where to begin cleaning I carefully avoided the corpses. All the weapons had been pulled out of the bodies. Some were simply tossed into a pile others were cleaned and put away in their appropriate places. Crossing my arms I shivered. All the heat in Texas couldn't keep the chills from me. I didn't know what was going on and that scared me. Todd seemed to understand and he didn't say anything as I just stared and watched him work. For the most part the room stayed quite.  
  
Then Lloyd walked in, looking disheveled and worried. I could tell he was going to be the barer of bad news.  
  
"I've talked to the council," he began. "It seams we aren't the only people the bringers have attacked. They're killing potentials all over the world."  
  
I looked around to see if anyone else wasn't sure what that meant. "Potentials?"  
  
Lloyd sighed before he continued. "Every watcher is assigned to a potential slayer or to assist the council. The potentials are the girls that will become slayers when the current slayer dies. There are hundred, or there were hundreds. Now it seam our numbers are dwindling." Again he sighed. He looked like he was about to collapse from exhaustion, but he continued to explain. "The council is still trying to figure out what's happening. We don't know why the first is attacking, only that it's happening and we have to do something about it."  
  
Todd paused in his work to ask a question. "So do we have orders?"  
  
Lloyd nodded. "They say that the bringers can attack us anywhere, but the boss hasn't found us yet. Jordan says that The Boss has a coven working for him, and that they know about this place, all of the hot spots really, but this one is special because we have a vampire with us we can stay hidden. Because of that it's the only place they can't find us."  
  
"So we stay put," I summarized. Lloyd nodded. "And we watch out for bringers?"  
  
"That's the plan."  
  
"So what happens when they come back, or when The Boss finds us?" Alucard asked, his voice sounding strained. He wasn't hiding his pain anymore and I could hear in his voice how much it hurt.  
  
"When they find us?" Lloyd asked. He leaned his head down and thought. When he looked up his face had changed. While still tired and worried he also looked stubborn. He had just made up his mind and no matter what any of us said, or the council, he wasn't going to change it.  
  
"When they find us, we're going to Sunnydale."  
  
~  
Okay, so, what did you think? Shorter than the last chapter, and I actually had it finished and ready to go last weekend, then I left the saved copy at my dad's house and I had to wait until my sister could e-mail it to me, that's why it so late. *sorry* But for the thank yous . . .  
  
Beyondthesilence: yes, last chapter was a bit long, trust me, I was editing it, a task I'm not good at. Buffy's birthday? Season six, spike's beat up rather nicely, but still hot. Wow, you are behind there, but if you want you can send me an e-mail with English phrases and stuff for the watchers. I only know what Spike says and that's not a lot. I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I was thinking about splitting it in two, I just didn't get around to it. Um, btw, while I will be completely changing the plot to the story, at first I will try to follow it kind of close (kind of being the key words) so while a lot is just stuff I throw in, a lot of it actually happens, so you'll get part of the plot to episodes you haven't seen. Just so you know. . .  
  
Gidgetgirl: Wow. . . *blinks* Wow. . . that is the longest review I have ever gotten. I'm glad you liked the chapter though ^.^ Okay, now I'm going to try to work with this piece by piece, I'd like to say it's late and my mind's not working too peachy like, but I'll manage.  
  
You mention Jordan first, this chapter starts to hint at what he does, I think. He actually beomes a main character for a few chapters after this one, can't say why though. With Zeke. . . Well, he was Liz's best friend for about sixty years, so yeah it's kind of complicated. I'm glad you like my style, and the humor. The clown comment was because I wanted him to be sarcastic, funny and a little punk rockish all at the same time, so it fits. The prophecy. . . I actually figured it out. Well, not word for word, but I have a real plot now and the prophecy is important to it, just not in the way you might suspect. As for Elisabeth's name. I've actually heard somewhere that Buffy's a nickname for it, but I wasn't thinking about that when I wrote this. Do they have a connection? Yes and no, but it's kind of hard to explain. The name's 'Liz' and 'Beth' do play a role, however. No, you didn't review ch. 3 but don't feel bad, you more than made up for it. Plot bunnies, ah yes, I know those. . . but as for her crossing paths with other people. *coughs, coughs again. Bite's tongue to keep from talking. . .* No comment. Um, as for the evil-slayer thing. Well, back to her name. It's too early to notice yet, but as the story goes on for vampires (other than spike) she's called Liz, while the scoobies and her watcher's call her Beth. They're kind of alter egos in a way, latter explained. Okay, back to the love interest. Can't be Oz, sorry, I know how he's showing up and it's not for the love interest. Todd. . . I don't know, I'm getting a good idea of where I want the story to go and I don't think Todd will work with it. As for Spike. . . um. . . they can't be together for reasons you will discover in the next chapter or so. That's all I can say because I'm too tired to leave any hints without telling everything.  
  
Okay, long answer to a long review, again I'm glad you liked the story! One last thing, you offered to proof read my story, and I'd really like that. I'm leaving my e-mail at the bottom so send me an e-mail and I'll work on getting you the sixth chapter to look over.  
  
Thanks again to everyone!  
  
~Rave  
  
liwen_13@yahoo.com 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
*at the beginning of "First Date" while Giles, Buffy, Spike, and the potentials are all in the graveyard.*  
  
The breaks squeaked as the bus came to a stop. Out of habit I grabbed the seat in front of me so that the jolt wouldn't bother me as much; Jordan did the same.  
  
The sign outside read "Sunnydale Bus Station." It was the last stop of the night and we were getting out here. Jordan stood up first, and I followed him off the bus, nodding good night to the driver as I did so.  
  
"Well, if we're lucky we won't get attacked," Jordan muttered  
  
Rolling my eyes I muttered, "If we were lucky you wouldn't go around jinxing everything."  
  
I had been awake since three o'clock yesterday morning and all I really wanted was a place to sleep. Insomnia had struck a week ago, when Jordan and I had first left Texas, and I hadn't been able to stay asleep for more than an hour at a time since.  
  
In any case, whenever we got to where we were going, I would be trying to take a very long, uninterrupted nap.  
  
"So, how do you think the others are doing?" I asked as we began to walk. I wasn't sure where we were going, but Jordan seemed to know.  
  
He wasn't answering my question. Instead he just stared into the distance with his hands in his pockets, thinking seriously about something.  
  
My guess was that he was worried about the Watchers. So was I. For all we knew, they could be, and probably were, dead. We all knew that an attack was coming, we just hadn't expected it to be with such force.  
  
The Boss had found us. We didn't know it at the time, but he had been preparing for the attack. After all, he was running out of time to kill me, he only had until May. So he gathered a horde of literally over a hundred vampires to attack the house we had been staying.  
  
Jordan and I had gotten lucky. The week before the attack he had started a meditating session, trying to get me in contact with my inner power or something like that. He had the theory that all slayers should have the basic magic ability in case they were ever in a fight where it might be useful.  
  
Back to the point though: the vampire attacked. We were roughly a mile into the desert when it happened. Jordan was meditating with me and we both felt this ripple in the air that carried the smell of death and danger.  
  
From what I could feel, the vampires seemed to come out of nowhere. The mystical energies surrounding the city were pulled so far out of whack that even people who had nothing to do with magic could feel the shift.  
  
Jordan knew it was coming from our house, that we were under attack. That was the first time I saw him cast a spell, or at least a strong one. He said something in Latin and a huge blob of color appeared. It took a few seconds for the blob to form into an image and then we saw the vampires. It had been dark, being night and all, but the fire coming from the house lit up the scene rather well. If anyone was inside they burned or died from the smoke. If they ran out the vampires got them. Our only hope was that for some reason the others hadn't been home. We had been gone for two hours and weren't expected back for awhile. They might have gone out for groceries, or for dinner.  
  
More likely though, they were dead.  
  
Neither of us were going to say it. That would make it real. So instead we didn't bring it up. Unfortunately I didn't like this game of silence, so I asked the questions, Jordan just wouldn't answer them.  
  
So I decided a change in topic was in order. "Where are we going?"  
  
"To find the slayer. I got her address awhile ago from Lloyd. We have directions we just need to figure out where we are." He held up a map that had been printed off the Internet.  
  
Not knowing the town, I wasn't going to be of much help, but I worked with Jordan anyway and we slowly got on track.  
  
We walked past a lot of houses, a few businesses, shops and restaurants, and three graveyards. Every time we passed a graveyard I considered the amount of deaths that would be required for so many graves. I couldn't estimate so I stuck with the simple answer. The hellmouth killed a lot of people.  
  
"Okay, I think we're almost there," Jordan stated when we stopped to compare the map to a street sign. We were in a residential zone and every now an then we'd see a car or person pass by.  
  
It took us twenty minutes to find the house. It was Jordan's fault, he had us take three wrong turns, each leading us into a dead end. He never got lost while driving. No one ever gave him directions and he could find anything. Take away the van and he was useless.  
  
It was a big house. We could see shadows cross the windows showing that people were home. Jordan and I stood on the side walk and stared at it for a few minutes.  
  
"Should we go in?" I asked.  
  
Jordan shrugged. "In a moment, we need to talk first."  
  
I frowned as I starred at him skeptically. "About what?"  
  
"About what we're going to tell these people," he explained. I was still confused. Sighing Jordan went on. "Do we want them to know you're a slayer? Potentials from all over the world will be gathering here, you can say you're one of them. I really don't want them to know we have other problems besides The First."  
  
That made sense, they were probably as freaked as I was, but did we really want to spring everything on them all at once? "What if. . . what if Lloyd or one of the others made it out. If they show up they'll mess the story up and the locals might get ticked."  
  
Jordan pursed his lips and crossed his arms as he starred at the house. "Yeah, but I don't think they'll be showing up. Besides, it'll be easier to understand if we just give them the cover story."  
  
I kicked a few pebbles as I considered his idea. "Will the Boss show up?"  
  
"He'll send his vamps eventually," Jordan answered. "Before May."  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, well. We don't tell them right away, but I don't want to say I'm not a slayer. You're a Watcher, they might trust you. Just don't lie and we'll work it out later." With that said I was ready to go in.  
  
"I'm not sure how much Buffy will trust me..." I heard Jordan mumble as we walked up to the door.  
  
I rung the doorbell then we stood there, waiting. Footsteps sounded before the door opened to a girl who looked to be around fifteen with brown hair and green eyes. She looked at the two of us for a moment before talking. "Are you here for Buffy?"  
  
"Rupert, actually, but Buffy would be fine, too," Jordan stated.  
  
Again the girl examined us, looking from one to the other. "He's out patro- um, he's out with Buffy. If you don't mind I can get Willow, she might be able to help you."  
  
"Willow? Yes, that would be lovely, thank you," Jordan said with a smile. The girl smiled back before running off.  
  
"Who's Willow?" I asked once she left.  
  
"A wiccan who stayed with my coven over the summer. I've heard a lot about her from some friends of mine," Jordan explained. "She tried to destroy the world last year."  
  
"Oh," I murmured, not saying anything else because the girl was coming back accompanied by a red head who looked to be in her young twenties. "Hello, Dawn said you were looking for Giles?"  
  
"Yes, I'm a college of his from England, a watcher to be exact. My charge and I have run into some tough times and I thought we might follow everyone else to the hellmouth," Jordan said, somehow making everything seam completely normal.  
  
Willow smiled though, not too worried about what he said. "Yes, well, as long as you're not a vampire or the First, why don't you come in?"  
  
Within minutes we were inside being showed the grand tour of the house and introducing ourselves further. When Jordan and Willow started talking about witch stuff I figured it was my time to leave, and Dawn led me to the living room where we sat down to chat.  
  
"So, who all is staying here?" I asked.  
  
Dawn had to pause to think before answering. "Well, there's the original scoobies, Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, me, and you might count Anya, an ex- vengeance demon, plus the potentials and Spike. He's a vampire, it's a very long story,"  
  
"Ah, well, that must be interesting," I stated.  
  
Dawn nodded as a man walked out of the kitchen. "Dawn, can you help me with the new microwave?" he asked.  
  
"Oh yeah," she said to me, "This is our. . . hostage, Andrew."  
  
I raised an eyebrow and he just stared at me, uncomfortable for a moment, before looking back to Dawn. "Or I can work on something else, do you have a white board?"  
  
"Maybe in the basement," Dawn said and Andrew went off.  
  
"Okay, well, he looks interesting," I murmured.  
  
Dawn shrugged, "He's a geek. But where do you come from? England?"  
  
I paused before answering. "Why would you say that?"  
  
"Your accent," Dawn said like it like it was something simple.  
  
Again I paused. I had gotten rid of the accent a while ago... "Okay, my accent, that would make sense but... shit," she was right. I had picked up my old accent without meaning to. It was like when you talked to someone on the phone from where you used to live with a funny accent and for awhile it came back, but for me I had spent months with a bunch of guys from England. "Boy do I feel stupid," I muttered.  
  
"Why?" Dawn asked. I shook my head, "It's not important."  
  
Dawn didn't believe me, but she let it go. "So can I help you with anything, the other potentials won't get back for awhile, and Buffy will want to meet you-"  
  
"No thanks kid," I cut her off. "Sorry, but all I want right now is a long nap. I'd like to hear what's all been going on here when I get up, though, if you wouldn't mind telling me."  
  
Dawn nodded, not happy with being called 'kid.' I didn't look like I was much older than her. "I understand, you must have had a bad trip."  
  
"You have no idea."  
  
Dawn helped me find a blanket and I stretched out on the couch. My insomnia left in an instant and before I knew it I faded into a dreamless sleep. ~  
  
There's this wonderful thing about being a slayer that I noticed awhile back. You don't need as much sleep as everyone else. I had been dead tired last night, but five hours later I was peachy keen and ready to go. Willow had showed me where to get breakfast and told be to help myself and I hadn't left the kitchen sense.  
  
Actually I wasn't eating, I just realized that this was the one place that everyone would eventually show up at. I had already been introduced to the potentials, and Willow and Kennedy had just left the room. Buffy had said hello earlier, and Giles and stopped by as well. The only person I hadn't really talked to was the vampire, but he was sleeping downstairs in the basement.  
  
". . . just left, so I had to walk down the aisle, in the big white dress, to tell everyone the wedding was off. And they were all looking at me with, like, such pity--" Anya was explaining to Andrew. I had listened to the first few minute before drowning her out.  
  
"I saw the same thing on a Lifetime Movie special event! It was terrible! You were Dixie Carter."  
  
I rolled my eyes and leaned back as I drank a cup off coffee. It tasted nasty, very bitter, but I refused to put anything in it because I didn't like coffee and wanted to keep it that way. The only reason I was drinking it was because they didn't have coke in the house.  
  
I saw Buffy walk back into the kitchen, not paying much attention to what was going on. She poured herself a cup of coffee while being deep in thought. Finally she decided on something and said "My judgment is clear," I raised an eyebrow, not knowing what she was talking about. After having another sip she added, "Absolutely no sparks."  
  
This place didn't make any sense, I was almost missing Texas. Even with it being hot all the time at least there was a shower I could cool down in. Now I had to fight to even get a bowl of cereal.  
  
Over the next twenty minutes Xander, Buffy and Dawn left the house. Anya left soon after without telling me why. Things quieted down a little before Jordan came to me with bad news.  
  
I still had to train. We were stuck in a cramped house full of annoying teenagers, but I had to go out to the back yard and train with the rest of them. Grumbling under my breath I listened to him. The drills were easy, we didn't even spar, which was probably good because a lot of the girls couldn't handle the weapons.  
  
Giles attempted to explain what was going on to Chao-Ahn, one of the girls who didn't speak English, but he didn't get anywhere. After much frustration he gave up and went inside. Jordan, who had been watching everything with a grin, walked up to Chao-Ahn and started talking to her, in Vietnamese, or whatever her language was, without a problem.  
  
Many of the girls stopped and stared before Kennedy got on their case and they continued on their work.  
  
We took a break for lunch and all of the girls ran for the kitchen where Willow had already made a few sandwiches. I dawdled until they were all inside so that I could talk to Jordan.  
  
"So, am I going to have to stay with them all the time?" I asked.  
  
He grinned, amused. "No, but for now try to blend in. Just be happy everything's going smoothly, it could be worse." he said.  
  
I watched him walk inside while taking the time to think. It could be worse. They could all be freaking out because an army of vampires was going to show up to kill the new slayer who happened to show up because they found her last hiding spot. That would be worse.  
  
At last now we had made an easy transition into their lives. When Jordan felt it was right, or when something went wrong, we'd let them in on the secret of my life. Until then, it was endless teenagers and training.  
  
After lunch the girls spread out. Some went upstairs to be alone, others crowded around the TV. By the time Buffy got home Giles had asked Jordan to take them upstairs and "teach them something" what he meant was that he was getting tired of their racket. Once again I stayed behind, this time because Giles wanted to talk to me.  
  
Giles and I went into the kitchen while Buffy and Willow took the living room.  
  
"Elisabeth, right?" Giles asked, making sure he got my name right.  
  
"Yeah, that's me."  
  
"Jordan and I have been talking for awhile, but I find his story has several holes in it which I was hopping you could help me with." What he meant though was that he was suspecting something and wanted answers. "How old are you? seventeen? Eighteen?"  
  
"I've been alive for nineteen years," I stated, skipping the 120 that I spent in unlife state.  
  
Giles raised his eyebrows, but didn't look too surprised. "Then you would be the oldest potential here," he stated.  
  
"You have no idea," I agreed.  
  
Again he raised his eyebrows, this time taking a close look at me before taking his glances off to clean them. "So, when did you meet Jordan?"  
  
"Two years ago May," I answered, hoping Jordan wouldn't have said anything different.  
  
Giles nodded, making me think I had the answer right."If I remember right last I saw of Jordan was in England three years ago, he was leaving for some special assingment that I wasn't important enough to know about," there was a little contempt and a lot of sarcasm in that statement. I ignored both. He went on to ask anther question. "Did you meet up with any of the others? Did he ever mention anything about this?"  
  
How not to lie... "Well, he never mentioned a special assignment. I did meet a couple other watchers though. Was one named Lloyd? Yes, I think that's right," I stated. Giles wasn't looking any more suspicious so I must be following Jordan's answers well enough.  
  
"So, you were in the states when he found you?" Stupid accent, everyone knew I was English. Not that I mind the accent, I just like pretending to be American. I hadn't been back to England in so long that I couldn't answer any modern questions about it.  
  
"Yeah, I was visiting some friends in Washington," I stated. "Then I ran into some vampires that Jordan helped me with. After that I was kind of stuck with him." That was pushing the truth, but it worked.  
  
He continued to drill me with questions. I answered all of them evasively. When he finally finished he thanked me for my time and walked off. I watched him go, wondering what all he knew, or suspected about us. I knew he wasn't worried about me, his questions were mostly focused on the watchers. He suspected something though. This was the first time a watcher showed up. The only sign they had that other watchers might have survived the attacks.  
  
Shaking my head I got up and went into the living room, just as Xander ran inside.  
  
"Guys! Guess what happened?" Xander said all excited like.  
  
Willow smiled up at Xander while answering "Buffy got a date!"  
  
Xander frowned "No! I did!" he took a minute to be disappointed while muttering, "Fine. Way to steal my thunder."  
  
Buffy grinned at him, "Sorry. It's Principal Wood and I think he's aligned with The First." she explained.  
  
"Also like, ten years older than you, right?" Xander stated.  
  
"Which makes him, like a hundred years younger than you "type"," Willow pointed out.  
  
"Yay, someone who doesn't remember the industrial revolution," Buffy murmured.  
  
I looked around the room, wondering what the inside joke was. I'd ask them later if I couldn't figure it out from listening.  
  
"I think they're gonna end up making out," Willow went on, "'Oh, Principal Wood,' she'll gasp, 'I love your lack of wicked energy...'"  
  
Willow got several blank stairs as Buffy said, "Be quiet, Willow, or we're gonna make you talk about your new girlfriend who you hold hands with under the dinner table and think we don't notice."  
  
"How 'bout yours, Xander? Is she evil?" Willow asked to change the subject.  
  
I let them continue to discuss their love life as I left the room. I almost ran into Jordan who was walking out of the basement. He looked rather aggravated. When he saw that it was me and not one of the other girls he started grumbling, "That vampire is as bad as Alucard. He still doesn't give the slightest bit of information, and I was just asking about his history!"  
  
Smirking I leaned against the wall. "If it's that important I can beat the information out of him later for you," I suggested.  
  
Jordan shook his head. "No, no. I just wish there was someone decent to talk to. God forbid Giles starts asking more questions..."  
  
"Oh, he already took his turn with me. He just wants to know what you're doing here," I stated.  
  
That didn't thrill Jordan that much. "Well, I'm going to go see if I can be useful." he said as he walked off.  
  
I walked back into the living room to see what was going on. The group had split up and now Willow was getting her computer ready for something. After finding out that she was going to research Principal Wood, who Buffy knew from her work and I had no clue who was, I asked if I could watch, hoping that I would learn something. Willow didn't mind, and Dawn, Kennedy and Amanda also sat down to watch Willow work.  
  
"Nothing? No records or certificates or college transcripts?" Dawn asked when it became clear that there was no past record of Wood.  
  
"Looks like the only stuff in the system about Principle Robin Wood is super recent. Like, since he moved to Sunnydale," Amanda stated.  
  
Willow sighed at the computer. "I've Googled 'til I just can't Google no more. He's not in there." she announced.  
  
"Well, that's suspicious," Kennedy pointed out.  
  
Willow nodded. "And it doesn't leave a lot of options. Either this guy has lived completely under the radar his whole life, or he only recently came into existence, or maybe he just ook on a new identity, or he's a computer whiz who covered his own tracks." Her list of options was probably longer, but that was the over view.  
  
"That sounded like kind of a lot of options," Dawn pointed out.  
  
We just stood there for a second before Anya came storming in, Giles on her heals.  
  
"Anya calm down. They're educational," Giles snapped.  
  
Anya ignored him while marching over to Willow and handing her bunch of large white cards. "What's this?" Will asked.  
  
"Giles made them for Chao-Ahn and now she's locked herself in the bathroom. There's a lot of girls up there and they're starting to complain." Anya explained as Willow started to flip through them.  
  
"Those are flash cards," Giles started. I looked at the gruesome almost- stick-figure pictures of vampires, Bringers and a Turok-Han. "I made them to facilitate her training. Chao-Ahn never had a Watcher, and with the language problem..." he trailed off.  
  
"You showed her these?" Willow asked, eyes wide. Even as stick figures the pictures could give you nightmares. The Turok-Han alone had one of the super vampires standing over a girl who was broken in two pieces. I blinked at the picture. It had been a long time since I had seen a Turok-Han, but I could still remember what it looked like, and the picture was miles off.  
  
"I wanted her to understand the seriousness of her situation," Giles stated, trying to explain.  
  
"Holy crap." Dawn muttered, getting a good look at the Turok-Han picture.  
  
"Perhaps I'll rethink the approach," Giles said, giving in.  
  
"Meantime, you wanna join us in the researchy? We're trying to invade Buffy's date's privacy," Willow said, changing the subject.  
  
"Buffy has a date?" Giles asked, surprised.  
  
Anya smirked as she started rambling, "Oh yes, didn't you hear? Everyone has a date. Buffy has a date, Willow's been completely making out with this girl..."  
  
"Hey!" Kennedy snapped.  
  
"...and Xander's out with some hardware store whore. It's date-fest two- thousand-and-three!" Anya finished.  
  
"Buffy's actually investigating Principal Wood," Willow said, trying to make it sound like Buffy wasn't goofing off. "It's not a date."  
  
Giles just looked at her. "Really?"  
  
Willow shrugged, "It might be a date."  
  
Giles started to go off about how we're all in moral danger, but I just ignored the speech. Instead I picked up the flash cards and started looking them over. When Giles finished ranting I asked if he had in blank ones, he did, and I borrowed a pencil. I stayed in the living room will Willow finished up online, then Andrew walked in and started talking to her.  
  
I continued working as everyone started talking again, this time about the First. Something about it talking to Andrew about a gun... I didn't really pay attention, but I followed Willow and the girls downstairs, taking the note cards with me. I continued working on my drawings as Willow listened on a head set. Suddenly Willow jumped and rips the headphones off.  
  
"What's going on?" Kennedy asked.  
  
"The First, it screamed," Willow said, "I think it knows about the wire."  
  
"I didn't hear that, they're just in the next room." Dawn pointed out.  
  
Amanda asked, "But you heard it over the wire?"  
  
"Only that," Willow stated, "The whole rest of the time, Andrew's voice is fine, but in between is just silence or static.  
  
Dawn shrugged. "I guess that's what you'd expect."  
  
"Poor Andrew he must be scared," Amanda murmured.  
  
We all just sat there awhile, Willow listening to the headphones.  
  
"You think this was smart?" The voice was raspy and whispering, and not coming from this room.  
  
"I'm hearing something," Willow stated.  
  
Kennedy took the headphones off of her, looking around the room as the voice spoke again. "You think you can trick me, women?"  
  
"It's not the headphones. It's out here," Kennedy said, sounding worried.  
  
"You only hear what I want you to hear. You only see what I want you to see." Suddenly a man appears, short and hideous. He was rotting as we watched, looking like he was pulled from the grave while being halfway decomposed.  
  
"Go away!" Dawn shouted.  
  
The man just stood there, looking at us so pitifully, almost as if he was sad. "So many dead girls. There will be so many."  
  
We all stood in silence as he faded away into the air.  
  
The girls looked on in horror. I just stared. If that was the worse show of that The First would be giving us then it really was a pitiful bad guy. In truth, I had run into bad guys who could do worse. One warlock had been able to make it look and feel as if you were rotting.  
  
But the girls were freaked. I watched them all go upstairs, but I waited before following them. I was almost done with a picture and I didn't want to stop working on it quite yet. When I finished it, I sat back and stared. It looked just as I remembered. Quickly I labeled it before turning to another picture I had started then going back upstairs.  
  
I saw someone leaving the house, but I didn't get a good look at him. I only saw the back of his head as he rushed out. He must have been the famous Spike that I had heard so much about. Wherever he was going now though, he was leaving there in a hurry.  
  
Finding everyone else I asked, "What's going on?"  
  
Willow looked up at me for a moment, briefly explaining, "Xander's date is a demon."  
  
No one seemed surprised. It kind of explained the joking about Xander's date being evil.  
  
Everyone went back to what they were doing, except for Anya, who was moving around complaining about Xander. I took a moment to really look at her. I wasn't sure, but I thought I might have met her before. I'd have to ask around to see what was going on with her.  
  
Jordan walked by once, glancing at what I was drawing, before moving on. I just kept working.  
  
An hour or so later when I heard Dawn say "They're back! Here they come!" Everyone but me rushed into the living room, I didn't even turn around to see them come in the door.  
  
Everyone was talking, I didn't listen. After awhile Giles yelled "Stop!" Then went into one of his very 'important' speeches. When he finished everyone was quite, and eventually dispersed. I had just finished my last picture. Labeling it "Vampire" I stood up and walked over to Giles.  
  
"Having a rough night?" I asked.  
  
He glanced at me and nodded.  
  
"Well, in case it would help, I made you some new flash cards, a little less gruesome," I stated, handing him the drawings I had been working on.  
  
I started to walk away as he flipped through them. "These are really good," he said. I didn't answer. "But when did you get a chance to see a Turok- Han?"  
  
I paused. It was a good question. "I had Amanda and Dawn describe it to me," I lied. "They said it looked right. But now you can help the foreign girls at least know what to look out for." Giles didn't say anything else so I walked off.  
  
Everyone was doing there normal things, but I ran out of things to do. I could go up and chat with the potentials, but I really didn't belong there. Jordan wasn't going to want to talk to me, and no one else really cared. I was just one more potential. With a sigh I rubbed my eyes. Today had been an adventure for everyone, and I had stood by and watched because I wasn't one of the scoobies. I was a stranger.  
  
Suddenly I missed Texas. The heat, the training, even the hours of nothing. At least I had friends with me when I was there. It was the closest thing I had to a home sense I came back to life. Right now I wouldn't mind having a conversation with Chris. He was probably dead though, and I had to make the best of what I had.  
  
Maybe later I'd talk to the vampire, he might be interesting. Now I was going to sleep. Tomorrow I'd explore town and then I'd try to fit in with the mob of chatty girls upstairs.  
  
I grabbed a blanket and curled up on the couch before someone else grabbed it, then dreamt of an army of vampire stick figures attacking Sunnydale.  
~  
  
Well, nothing really happened this chapter. Anyone else notice that? *shrugs* Next chapter will be more interesting, I hope. Thank yous are simple this time. Special thanks to Buckster for the website (It was exactly what I was looking for, thank you so much!) and to Gidgetgirl for the basic proof reading, (saved me a lot of time and you did much better than I would have!) Until next time!  
  
~Rave 


	7. Chapter 7

Girls were everywhere. Sleeping bags covered the floors, all occupied by one of the many Potentials who had found their way to Sunnydale. I walked through the hall way, seeing them all sleep. It was the only time when the house was peaceful.  
  
The problem was that it wasn't me walking here. I knew that I was dreaming, but I also knew that this wasn't my dream. I had invaded someone's sleep, and I couldn't figure out who the person I was hitch-hiking on was.  
  
Suddenly I heard muffled sobs. Turning towards them I saw Chloe curled up near the stairs, crying as quietly as she could.  
  
"Chloe?" I heard Buffy ask, "It is Chloe, right?"  
  
So this was Buffy's dream.  
  
Now that I knew for sure that it wasn't me in the body I stopped walking forward with it. Buffy continued on as I watched her pull away from me, moving towards Chloe as she tries to think of something to say. I could feel that she was about to say something when suddenly someone jumped out and tackled her, both of them fell down the stairs.  
  
Startled, I rushed forward to see if Buffy was okay. She was lying at the bottom of the stairs, with some primitive sort of person on top of her. My guess was that she was some sort of cave woman. She held Buffy pinned in a tight hold as she whispered words that I could barely hear.  
  
"It isn't enough."  
  
~  
  
I snapped up, suddenly awake. I looked around to make sure it was me and not a dream. Seeing that it was I gasped for breath and sat back on the couch, looking around the room.  
  
There were girls here, too. Buffy had to send Xander out to buy more sleeping bags because of the number of girls that had been showing up, many led here by Giles who was once again off to find another Potential. I could see that all the girls were young, their age being made more apparent by the peacefulness of sleep. Only one other girl was the same age as me, or at least the same age as they thought I was.  
  
Now that I was awake I couldn't go back to sleep. The dream had some meaning to it and it wasn't something I could figure out, and I knew that I wasn't meant to, but it was still annoying. So what if it wasn't my dream. For some reason I had sat in on it, and there had to be some reason for that.  
  
Trying to calm down I got up and walked into the kitchen to start coffee. The microwave claimed that it was three in the morning. Two and a half hours until sunrise. When the coffee was done I drank it black. I was actually getting use to the bitter taste. The Scoobies kept running out of soda so I had given up on having a decent caffeine drink, and settled for what I could get.  
  
I took the time to enjoy the silence, knowing that in a few hours it would disappear. Closing my eyes I took another gulp of coffee, letting the caffeine wake me up. The decision of going back to sleep came back to mind, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to.  
  
Hearing someone move around upstairs I wondered who was up. The noise soon stopped, though, so I assumed it was just someone using the bathroom. Shaking my head I took another sip of coffee. It was too early to be up. If I didn't go back to sleep soon, someone would end up putting me to work. Then again, I could take a warm shower and eat breakfast without waiting in line.  
  
Deciding on the second option I put my cup in the sink once I was finished with it. Walking back to the living room I folded up my blankets and put them away. Quickly I took a shower and got dressed. For a moment I stood still, thinking that I heard someone knocking, but the sound didn't come again so I put it out of my mind.  
  
Going back downstairs I had a bowl of Cheerios. Munching on them I thought I heard knocking again, coming form the front door. Putting the cereal down I glanced at the clock. It was almost four. I didn't know of anyone who would be visiting, but I got up to check the door anyway.  
  
The knocking started again right as I got to it. I paused a moment before opening the door, wondering if I should get Buffy or Willow. Then I decided that I could handle it if it was something small, and if it wasn't I could yell and wake everyone up.  
  
Opening the door I looked outside. I didn't see anyone. Leaning out a little I looked around the yard. Glaring out at whatever was teasing me I considered looking for it. That would take me out of the house though, making me a target for vampires and other nasties. Shaking my head I began to shut the door.  
  
"Liz, wait!" I froze. Suddenly Alucard was standing outside, looking ragged and tired. "Wait, I need to talk to you," he pleaded. I could only stare at him. He looked scared, and very weak, but it all could be an act and he was quickly recovering, beginning to look like more of his sarcastic self. Last I had known he had been locked in the basement. How had he escaped?  
  
"How did you get here?" I demanded in a whisper, not wanting anyone to wake up and come to see what was going on.  
  
Alucard smirked, looking away. "Well, first there was getting caught because I was left alone in a cage, being dragged back to Washington to be tortured, then escaping, followed by stealing a few piece of shit cars and throughout it all a whole lot of running," he said with blunt sarcasm.  
  
I couldn't help but looked surprised. "Okay, what?" I asked, not sure if I was understanding him. Alucard just smiled at me. "Look, why are you here? If what you say is true, then you weren't forced to come here. I don't have a clue what on Earth went on, but you better have a damn good reason for showing up." I was completely serious and rather pissed that he would show up out of the blue. I'm sure he had his reason, maybe he needed help, but if anyone saw him it wouldn't end well.  
  
While Alucard's smile didn't fade, it grew sad, a shadow falling over his face. He looked away from me for a few seconds while he thought. I just watched him as I leaned against the door frame, not going outside so that he couldn't harm me.  
  
"I'm not sure why I came here," he said finally. "But I know where your Watchers are, and I can show you" That caught my interest, as he had known it would. I just didn't know if I could trust him. Logic told me to be suspicious, but my instinct said that he wasn't lying.  
  
I looked back into the house. This really would be something to talk about with Jordan, or at least with someone. But what would I tell them? Our vampire prisoner just happened to show up claiming he knew where our supposedly dead friends were? I couldn't pass up the chance though.  
  
Biting my lip I asked, "So what do you want from me?"  
  
Amusement flashed in his eyes for a second before he became serious again. "Well, you wouldn't believe me if I said nothing," he muttered, "and I suppose that isn't true anyway. So why don't we start with a place to stay?"  
  
It was starting to get light out, but just slightly. He would have to find a place to spend the day soon. Inviting him in was out of the question though. It would bring too much suspicion and I couldn't trust the guy.  
  
"Sorry, no can do," I stated.  
  
He only nodded, expecting that. "Fine then. I can only hang around for a little while longer, so I'll answer any questions you have," he stated before pulling out two envelopes. "From Lloyd, one to Rupert what's-his- name, and the other for Jordan, assuming he's with you." He offered them to me and I took them gladly. "Both were sealed when I got them," he finished, showing that he hadn't meddled with either letter.  
  
I nodded, holding onto the letters. I wasn't sure what was inside them, but it was probably Watcher stuff. Jordan might not be happy that Giles also had a letter, but that was okay for now because Giles wasn't here. So we didn't have to worry about him yet. Key word there was yet. If he showed back up I'd give him the letter, and it would probably say something that Jordan would rather not have them hear.  
  
Pocketing both envelopes I asked, "So, what happened?"  
  
"I'll tell you," he said with a grin, "but I'm not going to talk through a doorway."  
  
Meeting his eyes, I believed that there wasn't a trap waiting outside for me, but I had been wrong before. The fact that my instinct wanted me to trust him only brought more suspicion. Inviting him inside would have been stupid, but I really needed to know what had happened.  
  
Alucard moved back to give me room as I stepped out onto the porch. It was a nice night, not too hot or too cold, but I felt edgy and glanced around nervously.  
  
Alucard leaned against the house, watching me. "Nothing's going to jump out and bite you, Liz," he stated.  
  
"No. That's what you're for, right?" I murmured without really thinking.  
  
"Only if you want me to," he said with friendly sarcasm.  
  
Smirking I shook my head. "Not in this lifetime."  
  
Alucard froze for a second after I said that. I didn't so much see it as felt it. For just an instant he was on edge, then at the next moment relaxed again, even if he was still a little out of it. "What?" I asked, not sure what was up with him.  
  
He shook his head. "Nothing, nothing," then after a pause, "what did you want to know?"  
  
Pushing the fact that he seamed a bit shaken aside I asked. "What happened between Texas and here for you?"  
  
Alucard stared out into space for a moment, as if arranging things in his mind so that the story would make sense. "I wanted out of the cage, so during the night when no one was around I had started trying to get one of the polls lose. The night before you were attacked I finally did it. That was the first step that saved me.  
  
"So when the vampires showed up I got out of the cage and went looking for your Watchers. They weren't home, and I didn't know where they had gone, but the vampires had torched the place, and I had to get out."  
  
"So the Watchers weren't there?" I asked, letting my hope build.  
  
Alucard rolled his eyes. "Of course not, if they were they would have been dead by now and I already said I knew where they were." He waited for me to say something, but I kept quiet so he continued. "Anyway, the vampires waited until the house was burning and not really a house anymore. During the fire I had hid under the bathtub, which is broken by the way, and then switched to vamp face and pretended to be one of them.  
  
"Unfortunately an old friend of mine recognized me and sounded an alarm. I ran for one of the portals that the vampires had used to arrive. Big mistake, that was, once through I was face to face with your friend Zeke and the Boss. To top it all off I was standing in a damn cage."  
  
"So it was a trap?" I asked.  
  
Alucard nodded. "Yeah, but it was probably meant for you."  
  
I frowned a moment. "Well, you're not dead, so what happened?"  
  
Alucard smiled grimly. "There's this thing about death that most people overlook. Once you kill a person you're done. They go off to where ever dead people go and your fun's over. Now torture on the other hand, that lasts, and hurts and involves a lot of screaming."  
  
"Oh," I murmured, not really wanting to know what they did to him. He was still in one piece without any huge marks that I could see, so they probably didn't get a chance to do anything that bad. "How long were you there?"  
  
"Bout a week and a half. It's almost insulting, the guards he put on me. Just because I didn't kill him on the first try doesn't mean I won't do it," he said sourly.  
  
I nodded, understanding. "So when did you meet up with the Watchers?"  
  
"I followed some tips from the locals, stole a car and drove a long way. Actually, they're only about two hours from here, but if they move from the house they're staying in the vamps will be able to find them. Lloyd pulled a favor from a group of wiccans, so he's safe for a bit," Alucard explained, "So I'm being the messenger who gives you the notes and gets back-up for the trip so that everyone can live happily ever after."  
  
"Well, that sounds just peachy," I murmured as I considered the plan.  
  
"Yeah, well. . .Oh, almost forgot," he said, suddenly remembering something. He pulled out a small book and handed it to me. The leather cover was old, very old. I opened it carefully and saw writing in a language I didn't know. It looked like a diary, in a way, but I wasn't sure who it would have belonged to.  
  
"It's yours, anyway," Alucard started. "I can't translate it, but it's one of the original copies of some of the prophecies. The entries aren't in chronological order. The author just wrote down what was remembered at the time."  
  
I ran my fingers over the words. Part of the prophecy. . . Where did he get it? And why give it to me? I continued to flip through the book, not understanding any of it. Alucard seemed to know something about it, but not enough to be helpful.  
  
"The last thirty pages or so aren't part of the prophecy, so you don't have to waste time trying to understand them," Alucard added. "I picked it up from the Boss's library, hoping that it might help us with something."  
  
I nodded, considering his story. It could be true, or he could be lying. But the book was old and the writing wasn't anything I had ever seen before. "How old is it?" I asked, trying to get some idea of where to start looking.  
  
Alucard shrugged. "The writing's just under two thousand years, I'd assume. The book itself has been around longer than that, but I don't have a clue on exactly how much longer."  
  
I blinked. "Two thousand?"  
  
He nodded. "Yeah."  
  
I gulped. The prophecy was that old. Who would care about my life two thousand years ago? Then again, if it was talking about the end of vampires, someone should care. "This is obviously important. Why would you give it to me?"  
  
"Because it's yours."  
  
I didn't understand what he was talking about, but that was okay. If this was what he said it was I couldn't turn down the help, even if I couldn't understand it at the moment. The scoobies would be able to help figure something out.  
  
"Look, I've gotta go. There's not long until sunrise," Alucard said.  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, thanks for the book, I'll look it over."  
  
Alucard shrugged. "I'll be back some time tomorrow, give you some time to talk things over with the other slayer."  
  
I nodded, not saying anything else, and Alucard turned to go. I stared after him for awhile, flipping through the pages. It must have been some spell to keep the book in tact. While the pages were slightly yellow, that was the only thing at all damaged.  
  
I hid the book in my pocket before opening the door slowly and looking around. around and gently closed the door behind me.  
  
"Since when do you know a vampire?" The sudden sound made me jump and I growled at myself for being so edgy. The English drawl sounded familiar, but distant. rather sure that it was the vampire of the house.  
  
With a sigh I turned around to face the vampire-Spike-but the moment I got a look at his face I forgot what it was that I had been going to say.  
  
He had bleached blonde hair and blue eyes, with high, pronounced cheek bones. He was going for a Billy Idol look, not one that I had ever really cared for, but it looked good on Spike. At the moment he wore jeans and a T- shirt, covered by a light jacket. The most awkward thing about his appearance was that he actually looked kind of cool.  
  
"Elisabeth?" He asked, sounding as surprised as I felt.  
  
"You're dead," I said bluntly, my voice staying calm, but only because I was in some form of shock.  
  
"Of course I'm dead," the vampire snapped. "The problem is that you aren't!"  
  
My eyes widened as I realized what had happened. "Oh god, you're a vampire!" That was extremely obvious, I just felt so stupid for not realizing what had been going on before. My watcher had said it wasn't a vampire kill, though. I had never been allowed to get too close to the coffin, but he wasn't supposed to be a vampire. My watcher had lied, about this!  
  
"And you're pretending to be a Potential?" His voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "You shouldn't even be alive!"  
  
"Oh it's a long story," I said, brushing off his questions before he could ask them. I began to pace, trying to get my thoughts in order, then suddenly I stopped with a groan. "William the Bloody, a.k.a. Spike. What a dead give away!"  
  
William was looking at me like I was crazy, but at the same time he seemed to understand what I was saying. "So you're alive?" He was asking himself more than me. "but you couldn't really be a Potential?"  
  
"No, not a Potential. . ." I started, then heard someone in the other room. Both William and I stayed quiet as we heard people get up and move around. "We really should continue this discussion later."  
  
He stared at me for a long time before answer. "Right, later then." Then he walked off, back towards the basement. I just starred. Just like that he was gone. I felt like throwing something after him, but there wasn't anything nearby.  
  
"Brothers," I muttered as I walked back into the kitchen.  
  
It was still early. Who ever had woken up was probably going back to bed. That gave me plenty of time to think, but my head wouldn't decide on which vampire I had to concentrate on. It was possible that I had imagined that whole conversation with him, but why would I? The truth was more logical, in an awkward sort of way.  
  
My brother was William the Bloody. The William the Bloody. Former scourge of Europe and companion of Anglelus. How that happened I didn't know. The stories I had heard of Spike led me to think he was an interesting vampire, one to be feared. I just couldn't picture William as anyone intimidating. Whatever happened to the love sick poet?  
  
I shook my head. It wasn't that important at the moment. The real issue was Alucard. Jordan wasn't here, I couldn't talk to him about it, and I didn't feel too comfortable talking to Buffy. That led me to think maybe Willow or William/Spike. I had the day to figure it out though.  
  
I began to make another batch of coffee as I considered what was going on. No doubt William was doing the same. No, wait, Spike, he was Spike here. If I called him William people would get confused. But I had other things to think about, or so I kept telling myself.  
  
Alucard had probably made it to shelter by now as the night crowd settled down and the rest of the humans began to wake up. Carefully I planned out the days events. I would talk to everyone at the same time, probably when Buffy got back from work.  
  
~  
  
I didn't mind practicing with the group, but when Kennedy went on a power trip I always got a little ticked. We weren't in the army, she didn't need to be treating us like we were a bunch of mindless idiots. No offense to soldiers or anything, but they had to take a lot of crap and I wasn't up for it.  
  
I watched as she badgered Chloe for awhile, wondering if I should do something to draw her attention away, but just then she decided to go talk to Buffy and the man she brought home with her, so I decided that Chloe could just do the push ups on her own. As always, I was ignored, which was fine. When Amanda spoke up we were sent back to training, and I continued along with the rest of the group. Soon  
  
Willow came out, she talked with Buffy and the man who I now knew was the Principal Wood guy that kept showing up in conversations. After a few minutes they all went inside. About an hour later the training session was over and the girls split up. I took it as my chance to go find Spike. I found him in the basement, fuming over something.  
  
"Hey," I said, walking down the stairs.  
  
He glanced up at me and nodded hello. "What's up Pet?" He asked.  
  
I shrugged, "Nuthing much, just thought we should talk."  
  
Spike nodded. "Yeah, we should do that." We both stood and looked at each other for a couple of seconds. Spike was the first to speak. "Start with the why you're not dead part."  
  
I glanced away, trying to figure out the best way to start. As always I couldn't think of a tactful way to say anything. "Remember that night when I was attacked? Some strange man jumped me and you happened to walk out in time to stop me from getting killed?"  
  
Spike nodded slowly. "Yeah, he was a vampire." He said it as a fact.  
  
I nodded back. "Yeah. Well, you could say this is all his fault."  
  
Spike raised an eyebrow. "How so?"  
  
"Because he cursed me so that I was stuck in a non-living, non-dead state for one hundred and twenty years," I said bluntly.  
  
Spike just stared. It didn't look like the information was actually getting through to him. That was fine, I could give him a few minutes to figure it out. He took his time doing so. "So you've never died."  
  
I shook my head. "Nope."  
  
"Why would he want to curse you?"  
  
I scratched my head, answering quietly. "Something about me being a slayer- "  
  
"What!?" Spike butted in.  
  
"Yeah, thought you might have that reaction." I muttered.  
  
He was giving me one of those blank-surprised stares again. "How long were you a slayer?"  
  
"Sense I was thirteen."  
  
Spike was pacing now, not happy in the slightest. "Four years. You were a slayer for four years and never told me?"  
  
I just sort of shrugged. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Not every slayer is as vocal as Buffy. You should know, you met up with two others."  
  
Spike snorted. "I was killing them, not much time for talking pet."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. It's not like you told me everything."  
  
"I told you the important things," Spike retorted.  
  
Raising an eyebrow I asked, "And what was important to you? A love interest that you wrote the worst poetry about. Yes, you spent hours talking about her."  
  
"And you never bothered to mention that vampires were real," Spike pointed out. "Found out anyway though, didn't I?"  
  
I glared. "Hey, I had nothing to do with that."  
  
Spike waves his hand, telling me to ignore his comment. "Sorry, luv, had a bad day," he muttered before stopping and getting a good look at me. "So you really are here. Been living in this house for what, a couple weeks? God, you were right under my nose and I never noticed."  
  
"I could say the same thing," I pointed out.  
  
Spike shrugged. "So, how did all of this happen? Why're you here?"  
  
I sighed, not sure exactly where to start. "I'll skip the details. There's a bad guy after me because of some crappy prophecy that I still think he's reading wrong. I have four Watchers watching my back, three of whom are locked up with some wiccans about two hours drive from here and the vampire you saw last night is supposed to get me to them so that I can bring them back in one piece."  
  
"Is that all?" I caught the sarcasm in his voice. "Prophecies, well, they're nothing but trouble. What's yours all about?"  
  
I shrugged, pulling out the book Alucard had given to me and tossing it to him. "It's all in there, or so I'm told. Basically what the Boss thinks though is that I'm supposed to go and kill every vampire if he doesn't manage to kill me before the end of May."  
  
Spike gave me a look that clearly said that wasn't possible. I nodded agreement. "And who is this Boss you're talking about?"  
  
I shrugged. "Never met the guy. Jordan didn't want to bring him up with Buffy because she had so many problems with the First. Heck, we've had problems with the First."  
  
Spike crossed his arms as he considered what I'd said. "So this new big bad, how's he hunting you?"  
  
"A bunch of Wiccans and shamans doing spells, good old fashion hunting. Chances are he knows where I am though," I stated.  
  
"So, is he a vampire or some other beastie?" Spike asked.  
  
"Vamp," I answered. "But an old one, older than Zeke and Alucard, but that's all I know."  
  
"Who and Who?" Spike cut in.  
  
I silently yelled at myself for getting ahead in the story. "Zeke use to be a friend, Alucard's the vamp from this morning. Both are old, don't know their exact age."  
  
"And the Boss has control of them?"  
  
I frowned, not sure how to answer. "Um. . . As far as I know, and I'm going on faith with this one. Alucard use to work for the Boss, then Alucard tried to kill him, things went bad. Suddenly he shows up saving me from Zeke, who was the vamp I hung out with back when I couldn't get killed, but is now the bad guy working for the Boss."  
  
Spike nodded. "Right, and that makes things so much clearer," He drawled sarcastically.  
  
I shrugged. "Sorry, as I said, it's a long story." Spike nodded, understanding. He opened the book and flipped through it. "Don't recognize any of this. I'd hand it off to Giles, but he's not around."  
  
"Yeah, I was thinking about giving it to Chris." Catching Spike's questioning glance I explained, "He's one of the Watchers. Big book worm."  
  
"Ah," Spike said. "So when are we letting Buffy in on the secret?" He asked.  
  
I shrugged. "I'm not sure. Tonight probably. I just thought it would be best to go over things with you first."  
  
"Thanks, pet," Spike said as he smiled warmly at me for a moment. "It's actually nice seeing you again."  
  
"As that I'm back from the dead and all, I would hope so. Even if you are a vampire," I said.  
  
Smirking Spike shrugged. "Yes, a vampire with a soul. Big Bloody help I've been lately," he muttered.  
  
"So why was today so horrible?" I asked.  
  
Spike stared at me a moment. I could almost hear him asking himself whether or not he should talk to me. It was like a flash back in time, back when we were kids and I had asked him about some secret he wasn't sure he could trust me with. I had never shared one of his secrets though.  
  
"Girl troubles," he said at last. A simple but blunt answer. I almost laughed. It was always girl troubles with him. Spike flashed me a glare and I hid my smile quickly.  
  
"So, things going bad with Buffy?" I asked.  
  
Again he was glaring at me, but he talked anyway. "Everyone one of you chits knows about it, don't you. No one keeps anything to them bloody selves in this house."  
  
I shook my head. "We're stuck here all day, what are we supposed to do? Besides, it's obvious. You're totally into her."  
  
Again with the glaring, but I ignored it. "You're sounding like Dawn with an accent," he mumbled.  
  
I frowned at him. "I'm not like Dawn."  
  
"No, but you can sound like her at times. Actually, she sounds like you, but that's another story," Spike said. He handed the book back to me. "I suggest you get someone looking into that. When you're ready to tell the Scoobies what's up with you come get me. Don't know how much help I'll be but at least I can confirm your story."  
  
I nodded. "Thanks," I murmured. Again we shared an uncomfortable moment. Neither of us knew what we should do. Neither of us knew how much the other had changed. Sighing I decided it didn't matter. He was still my brother, even if he was a demon. I took a step forward and gave him a quick hug before turning around and leaving the basement.  
  
Nighttime came around and I hadn't bothered changing for bed. I hadn't gotten around to talking to Buffy. Call me a coward, but I was nervous. This was the sort of thing I normally passed off to someone else. Unfortunately there wasn't anyone else to talk to everyone for me.  
  
When the sun finally set I realized that Alucard would be showing up and I really needed to tell everyone everything before he did. So I was walking upstairs, a few seconds after Buffy and Dawn.  
  
I got to the top in time to see Dawn open the door to the bathroom, then to hear her scream. Stopping for a moment I just stared. Buffy and Dawn were in complete shock, but Kennedy, Rona and Amanda were rushing towards them, to see what was going on. I joined in, wanting to know what was happening as well. "What happened, we heard. . ." Kennedy started, but Buffy cut her off.  
  
"Dawn, get a knife." I paused to see what the deal was, and saw Chloe hanging from the ceiling, dead. I think my heart skipped a beat, but I was too shocked her down.  
  
Dawn started to leave, but Chloe's voice stopped her. "Good thinking." Dawn stops, slowly turning to see a perfect image of Chloe standing below the dead body, looking up at the dead Chloe. "On the other hand, why rush? Up or down-I'll still be dead."  
  
"You're not Chloe," Buffy says in a voice that even scarred me.  
  
Chloe/the First said, "Yeah, well, neither is she, anymore. Now she's just. . . 'Chloe's body'"  
  
"What did you do to her?" Kennedy asked somewhere between surprise and horror.  
  
"Nothing!" The image of Chloe insisted. "We just talked all night. Well, I did most of the talking, but Chloe is. . . I'm sorry, was a great listener. 'Til she hanged herself," The first paused to stare directly at Kennedy. "Like when you called her a maggot? She really heard that."  
  
"Don't listen to it. Any of you," Buffy said, always the protector. I'm sure she was as scared as the rest of us, but she was just better at hiding it.  
  
The First was playing on our fear though. "Oh let 'em. Chloe only offed herself because she knew what you're not getting. I'm coming. You're going. All this? It's almost over."  
  
Buffy glared at the first. "We'll be here."  
  
The First smirked. "All of you? But wait, I thought," suddenly she switched to Buffy's voice, "They're not all gonna make it. Some will die. And nothing I can do will stop that." She went back to Chloe's voice, "Hey,  
  
I didn't say it. Be seeing you all. One by one. T.T.F.N.!" And with that she vanished into the air, leaving all of us staring at the real Chloe's dead body.  
  
"W-what's T.T.F.N.?" Buffy asked. A little nervous.  
  
Rona gulped before answering in a shaky voice, "Ta-Ta For Now. It's what Tigger says when he leaves."  
  
"Chloe loved Winnie the pooh," Amanda chimed in. We were all silent for a moment.  
  
Buffy cut through the silence. "Dawn. Where's that knife?"  
  
I didn't wait to watch Buffy move the body, but instead helped to gather everyone into the living room as Buffy took care of Chloe. When we were finished everyone was there. Potentials filled the stairwell. They stood around or sat on the floor, wherever we could fit in. Some were crying, some comforted others, all looked terrified.  
  
I was scared, but not in the same way they were. You'd be an idiot not to fear the First, but it was just one more thing trying to kill me. Not that big of a deal to me anymore.  
  
We heard the kitchen door open and close. All of us waited in silence for Buffy to come in. She carried a shovel with her, it still had dirt on it. One by one everyone looked at her. She waited in silence until she had everyone's attention, then she spoke up.  
  
"Everyone here?"  
  
Kennedy answered, "All accounted for."  
  
Buffy nodded before continuing. "Anyone like to say a few words about Chloe?" There was only silence.  
  
"Let me: Chloe was an idiot." Buffy stated, ignoring the startled reactions from the group. "Chloe was stupid, she was weak. And anyone who's in a rush to become the next dead body I bury, it's easy. Just think of Chloe. Do what she did. And I'll make room for you next to her, and Annabelle."  
  
I looked around, hiding a small smile. I agreed with everything said, but I knew that it was the wrong time to say anything. Everyone was looking so startled, Kennedy the worst of all.  
  
Buffy went on, her voice growing angry, "I'm theSlayer. The one with power. And the First has me using that power to dig our graves." She threw the shovel down to emphasize her words. It clatters to the ground. Willow flinched, I wasn't the only one who noticed. "I've been carrying you. All of you, too far, too long." Buffy continued. "Ride's over."  
  
Kennedy had been watching Willow, and wasn't like Willow's downcast face. Suddenly she jumped up, facing Buffy. "You're out of line!" I smirked behind my hand. If only Kennedy knew how wrong she was.  
  
"No she's not," Willow said, voicing my thoughts in a softer tone then I would have used.  
  
Kennedy gapped at Willow. "You gonna let her talk to you like that? Willow- She's not even the most powerful one in this room-with you here? She's not close."  
  
Buffy confronts Kennedy. She looked calm, completely in control of her emotions, but at the same time dangerously angry. "You're new here. And you're wrong, because I use the power I've got. The rest of you are all just waiting for me."  
  
"Well, yeah, but only cause you kinda told us to," Xander said. "You're our leader, Buffy. As in 'Follow the...'"  
  
Buffy turned to Xander. "Well, from now on, I'm your leader as in 'do what I say'"  
  
"Yeah. . . , but let's try not to forget we're also you're friends," Xander points out.  
  
"I'm not," Anya pops into the conversation, drawing Buffy's unwanted attention.  
  
"Then why are you here? Besides getting rescued, what do you do?" Buffy asked.  
  
Anya had to stop and think before answering unsteadily, "I provide. . . much needed. . . sarcasm."  
  
"Uh, that'd be my job, actually." Xander stated.  
  
"You're here because you're scared," Buffy says, more to everyone then just to Anya.  
  
"Same goes for everyone in this room," Xander agrees.  
  
"Fine. Anya, all of you: Be as scared as you like. Just be useful while you're at it," Buffy said in her calm/angry voice.  
  
"Come on Buffy," Willow said, trying to soften the mood. "You know everyone here's already doing everything they can."  
  
"And the First isn't impressed," Buffy said back, almost at a yell. "It already knows everything we can do, and it's laughing. You want to surprise the enemy? Surprise yourselves. Force yourselves to do what can't be done or else we're not an army. Just a bunch of girls waiting to be picked off and buried."  
  
Everyone just sat there, letting the silence grow. I leaned back, wanting desperately to say something but not knowing what. Quietly I sighed and looked around at faces etched with fear and confusion. I wasn't looking out the window, but I saw the face looking in, anyway. I don't think anyone else saw him, else someone would have said something, but Alucard was standing outside, watching the argument. He caught me looking, but I didn't have a chance to say anything.  
  
Suddenly Spike stood up. Without being shy or quiet about it, he headed for the door.  
  
"Where are you going?" Buffy snapped.  
  
Spike turned to her. "Out. Since I'm neither a girl nor waiting, all this speechifying doesn't really apply to me."  
  
"Take a cell phone. That way, if I need someone to get weepy or wailed on, I'll call you." Buffy's words are cold as ice and they stopped Spike in his tracks.  
  
He turned with cold fury, Buffy doesn't back down. "If you've got something to say. . ." Spike starts, his voice angry.  
  
"Just said it," Buffy said bluntly.  
  
"I don't need to be here." Spike states.  
  
Buffy just stared coldly as she continued, "Keep holding back, Spike, and you might as well walk out that door."  
  
"Holding back? You're blind. I've been here, right in it. Fighting. Scrapping." I wasn't sure what emotions were filling Spike's voice, but it was thick with them.  
  
"Since you got your soul back?" Buffy adds onto Spike's comment.  
  
"Matter of fact. I'm just not relishing a kill the way I used to," Spike admitted.  
  
Buffy smirks, as if he proved a point. "You were a better fighter then."  
  
Spike's face flashed with pain. For a moment he wasn't sure what to say, then he just burst out, "I did this for you! The soul, the changes-it's what you wanted!"  
  
"What I want is the Spike who's dangerous. The one who tried to kill me when we met."  
  
"Oh, you don't know how close you are to bringing him out."  
  
"I'm nowhere near him." Spike's looked crushed and Buffy just stared on with the same indifferent look she's had for most of the conversation. Without looking away from Spike she continues, speaking to Dawn. "Get the Potentials upstairs. And break out that emergency kit."  
  
"What are you gonna do?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Declare and emergency."  
  
~  
  
~  
  
*Peeks out from behind a corner. Slowly scoots into view* So. . . what do you think? Sorry it took a bit to get the chapter out. Funny thing, teachers actually think we should have to work. Weird eh? That and getting sick slowed me down a bit. So. . . I actually had about ten ways to do this chapter, and this is just the one I ended up writing. Chapter 8 is almost done, just needs to be edited and the like. It's just finishing the episode up. Ch. 9 will be with the watchers, ch. 10. . . haven't thought that far ahead. On to the thank yous.  
  
Hey! New reviewers! We like you.  
  
WhiteWolf 3: Zeke? *lots of shrugging* working on it. He might still be friends with Liz, don't know. You must remember that he's an evil vampire dude who has no reason to not kill human Elisabeth.  
  
Hollie: Hey, a friend eh? Thanks friend! Glad you like it, I suck at spelling too. Hope you liked the rest of the story, keep reading!  
  
Beyondthesilence: Ello, not a new reader, but I like you too. Sorry about the virus, glad your computer's back now. Again, sorry about the words and spelling mistakes. I'm working on that. Yeah, I understand how not seeing the season would make it hard. I recommend you check out the official site if you want a really brief overview. Thanks for the words, I'll try to use one or two of them in some of the upcoming chapters. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
This was another one of those times when I hated being just one more Potential. We were being herded upstairs so that the grown ups could do their planning. Lucky for me with so many girls no one noticed me heading for the kitchen instead of the stairs.  
  
Slipping out the backdoor was easy. Quickly I walked around to the front yard, pausing behind a bush while Wood showed up and was invited inside.  
  
The curtains were closed so I couldn't see what was going on inside. That was fine, they couldn't see me talking to Alucard, either. Speaking of Alucard, he was nowhere to be seen. I didn't want to yell for him, someone inside might hear.  
  
Rubbing my arms I began pacing, trying to ignore the cool breezes. If he took much longer I would have to risk being caught to get a coat.  
  
"You cold?" Alucard asked.  
  
I didn't turn to look at him until my pacing brought me back to facing him. With a sigh I stopped walking. "How long have you been out here?"  
  
Alucard shrugged. "Not long. What's up with the slayer? She didn't seem too happy in there." He motioned towards the living room.  
  
Taking a deep breath I debated on how to answer that. I didn't want him to know all of our problems, but was there any harm on telling him some of what was going on? Maybe, maybe not. Best just to play it safe.  
  
"The First is getting annoying, nothing big," I answered.  
  
Alucard's eyes asked everything he didn't. He knew something was up, but also knew he didn't have to ask about it. "So, what have you decided?"  
  
I shook my head. "Never got a chance to talk to Buffy. I think the trip's going have to wait till- wait, do you hear that?" Alucard gave me a look of confusion as I stood still. Faintly in the distance the sound of drums was coming. I couldn't tell where from though.  
  
"First there is the Earth."  
  
I turned around, trying to see who had said that. It sort of sounded like Dawn, but she was inside.  
  
"Then there came the Demons."  
  
A faint, ghostly roar sounded about the drumming, which continued steadily. I stopped moving, listening carefully. Was there really a demon near by? What was going on?  
  
"Hey, Liz, you okay?" I heard Alucard ask.  
  
I ignored him as the words continued. "After demons, there came Men." Chanting sounds, this time sounding as if it came from the house.  
  
I began to get the feeling that it was Dawn speaking, but for some reason I could hear her. I glanced at the house, seeing shadows against the curtains. Someone was making a shadow puppet show for some reason or another. Ignoring the bodies of the people in the room I looked at the pictures circling around, picking up on the story.  
  
"The men found a girl."  
  
I heard a brief scream as a girl was added to the pictures. They started to turn faster.  
  
"The Men took the Girl. To fight the Demon, um, all Demons. They. . ." I heard her hesitate, and I was certain it was Dawn. "They chained her to the Earth." Chains were added to the picture and I heard them rattling.  
  
There was a pause, I could feel that Dawn was saying something, but that it wasn't important that I hear it. The pictures began to spin faster, taking on new shapes. The girl was in chains, the demon moving towards her and the men. . .  
  
". . . you cannot be shown, you cannot just watch but you must see - see for yourself but only if you're willing to make the exchange."  
  
Wind must have been blowing inside the living room because the curtains opened enough for us to see what was inside. The shadow puppets were spinning out of control, then suddenly the turntable they'd been rotating on disappeared, leaving behind a portal that was the size and shape of a door.  
  
"Okay, I must have missed something. . ." I heard Alucard say, but my attention was focused on the group.  
  
The people inside were talking amongst themselves, arguing. When the portal started to close Buffy shouted something to the rest of the group before diving strait into the portal. It closed behind her and the room was left in silence. The drumming was gone, all the supernatural stuff that had been going through my head left with it.  
  
"Mind explaining what that was about?" Alucard asked.  
  
I just shook my head. "I'm. . . I'm not sure. I just heard. . ."  
  
Suddenly, with a flash of light similar to that of the portal, a blast knocks all the people inside back a step. Suddenly a demon is teleported into the center of the living room. Tusks, droll, muscles. . . typical huge demon sent to kill everyone. The demon took a second to look around before backhanding Xander, who stood the closest.  
  
"Oh shit," I said right as I ran for the door, Alucard at my heal. I ran inside right as the demon lashed out at Willow, smashing her in the face with a punch. Willow was thrown against the living room table.  
  
The demon spun to face principal Wood, and I saw three morning stars embedded in its back. Wood didn't get another chance to grab a weapon before the demon smashed him into the floor.  
  
"Weapons!" Kennedy shouted to Dawn who went for the weapons chest. The demon was on them before they got a chance to do anything, though.  
  
There were too many people being thrown around for me to run into the fight, but Spike brushed past me as if I wasn't there. "Get her out of her. All of you, 'less you want to be all dead and useless." He shouted to Kennedy and the rest.  
  
"Yeah-" Kennedy snapped, "what are you gonna do?"  
  
"What I do best," Spike said, throwing her a look before charging at the demon.  
  
Spike grabbed the demon by the head and bashed it against the living room wall. For a moment I actually thought he might be hurting it. No such luck though. The demon literally picked Spike up and threw him through the ceiling.  
  
The demon looks around, making sure there's no one else to take care of. He saw me, and the door, and rushed forward. I ducked as he tried to backhand me, throwing a quick punch to his gut as I did so. It barely hurt him, but he grunted, which I suppose meant that it did something. The demon growled at me. I didn't move, so he backhanded me.  
  
For a moment my face hurt, well, it still hurt afterwards but I was able to fight back. I punched him hard in the face, taking it by surprise. He seemed surprised that I was even still standing after he hit me.  
  
The demon growled at me, letting out a huge below as he hit me aqain, this time with enough force to knock me back into the wall. I crumbled to the ground afterwards, but looked up in time to see the demon run outside.  
  
Alucard stepped to the side as the demon ran by, not wanting to get involved in our little scrimmage. He glanced at the people standing back up before looking at me. The look on his face said that he didn't want to hang around at the moment. He mouthed the word "Backyard" before seeming to vanish. I starred at where he was for a second before looking back at the living room.  
  
Everyone was checking everyone else, making sure that no one was injured too badly. Dawn was the first one to her feet, and she immediately turned to Kennedy, "are you injured?"  
  
Kennedy got unsteadily to her feet, "Just hurt. Don't make a case out of it. How about you?" She asked the others.  
  
"Think we'll live," Xander said with grim sarcasm.  
  
Anya glanced up, "Except maybe Spike." I walked into the living room, looking up as well, hoping Spike was okay.  
  
"Is getting thrown through the ceiling what he does best?" Kennedy asked wryly.  
  
I shrugged, "He's better at that then writing poems," I murmured.  
  
"I'll go check on him," Dawn stated.  
  
"And we've got bigger problems," Anya stated, staling Dawn.  
  
We all looked towards the door that was hanging half off its hinges. "Demon loose, no Slayer," Wood said bluntly.  
  
"We need Buffy," Willow stated.  
  
"You gotta get her back. Looks like it's spell-o-clock," Xander said.  
  
"Which spell?" Anya asked, "You see how powerful that thing was? You expect to get that portal re-opened without sending Willow off the deep end?" She didn't seem to be too sure on the plan.  
  
"Thanks for your support," Willow muttered, frustrated.  
  
"Well it's true." Anya snapped. "There's gotta e some other way."  
  
"There isn't. And Buffy knew it. I have to get her back," Willow stated.  
  
"We don't even know where she went," Kennedy pointed out.  
  
"Well, if the demon comes back I think I can handle it," I said, no one seemed to notice though, they were too busy fighting with themselves.  
  
I sighed and took a step back. They didn't need me here. They wouldn't even believe me if I told them what was going on with me at the moment. They needed a leader to run smoothly. Smirking I saw the irony. Now they'd have to deal without Buffy, she couldn't be carrying them anymore. Briefly I took a moment to wonder how well they would do before leaving the room.  
  
I walked into the kitchen and out the back door. Alucard was waiting, leaning against a tree. He smiled to me as I walked out. "So, what's up with the big guy coming out of nowhere?"  
  
I shrugged. "They weren't exactly saying anything useful in there."  
  
"I see," Alucard murmured, watching me walk out onto the porch. I sat down on the back steps and just stared.  
  
Alucard pushed off the tree and came over next to me. "So where's Buffy?" He asked.  
  
"I-I don't know," I said, though at the moment I wasn't sure.  
  
Suddenly I hear the drums again. I felt my body go slack as I just stared forward. My vision parted into two segments. It was as if one eye saw one world, and the other saw another.  
  
In the first world I was on the porch, staring at Alucard. In the other I stood in a desert, completely isolated. Slowly the sands began to swirl, shifting in the wind. In a flash of light Buffy fell onto the top of a sand dune, sliding face first down it until at last she landed at the bottom. Slowly she got to her feet, shaking off the sand as she got her bearings.  
  
"Well. Guess that worked," she muttered.  
  
I was standing next to her, but I knew she wouldn't see me. I was more of a phantom then a real person, not even really there. I saw as Buffy heard the drums and looked off in the distance. A small group of people stood somewhere far off, they hadn't been there when I first looked. I watched as Buffy started towards them before returning to the real world.  
  
"Liz? Liz what's wrong?" Alucard was shaking me, trying to get me to answer.  
  
I blinked for a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened. "Okay, you can stop now," I told Alucard, grabbing his arms so that I could sit still.  
  
He slowly pulled back, looking genuinely worried as he starred at me. "What the hell just happened?" he asked softly.  
  
I couldn't stop a shiver running through me as I considered the same thing. "I don't know," I sighed. "Buffy. . . I saw her. She's in some desert. I was there, but I wasn't. She didn't see me."  
  
Alucard was just staring, deep in thought. Finally he spoke up. "this ever happen before? You trailing Buffy?"  
  
I began to shake my head, then stopped. "I was in her dream."  
  
Alucard nodded. "Okay, that's important, I think. Well, you shouldn't be able to stop this. It'll just happen, but it's all leading up to something, and when you know what that is, it'll stop."  
  
I nodded slowly. "Okay, how would you know all this?"  
  
He paused, not sure of how to answer. "I had a friend, a long time ago, who I think went through something similar."  
  
"Why do you think that would apply to me?" I asked.  
  
He shrugged. "You're both slayers, you both are going through a similar occurrence. Could have something to do with it."  
  
I raised an eyebrow. "You had a Slayer for a friend?" I asked, disbelieving.  
  
He nodded, suddenly uncomfortable. "I was alive at the time."  
  
That explained his nervous expression. "What, afraid people will think less of you for hanging with a slayer?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.  
  
He allowed himself to grin. "Something along those lines, I guess." He stated. Standing back up he looked down at me. "So, I take it we're not grabbing the watchers tonight."  
  
I shook my head. "No, that doesn't sound like the best of ideas."  
  
Alucard shrugged then glanced at the house. "You think you'd be able to help the humans?" he asked.  
  
I shrugged. "Don't know."  
  
"If you can you should," He stated.  
  
I was going to say something, but then I froze.  
  
Buffy approached three men. They sat rocking back and forth, chanting in front of their tent. Buffy walked towards them, entering their group.  
  
"Hello?" she asked, unsure of herself.  
  
The men stopped chanting and looked up. They were old, very old. They were black and dressed like ancient desert nomads, each with a staff. They reminded me vaguely of the shadow puppet men for some reason.  
  
"I'm Buffy," Buffy starts, "I'm the Slayer. I'm-"  
  
One of the shadow men cut her off speaking in what I recognized as Swahili, and managed to understand, even though I didn't speak that language. "We know who you are," he said.  
  
"And we know why you're here," Added the second man.  
  
"We've been waiting," the third said.  
  
Buffy waits a moment before saying, "Good. That's good then and I know we've got bigger issues to deal with but how'd I understand a word you just said?"  
  
The men stood without answering.  
  
"I know," Buffy went on, "ancient Magicks, I just thought it was neat."  
  
The men, still standing, begin to walk around Buffy and she turned to keep eye contact with them as they looked her over.  
  
I was watching everything form outside the circle they had going on. None of them even glanced my way.  
  
"We have been here since the beginning," The first guy said.  
  
"Now, we are almost at the end." the second.  
  
"Okay, and the 'neat' of it just left me. End of what?" Buffy asked, beginning to grow edgy.  
  
"You are the hell mouth's last Guardian" says the third.  
  
"Latest. You mean "latest" guardian," Buffy tried to correct him.  
  
The first man said, very sternly, "No."  
  
"Look - I got a First to fight. You three have clearly had some time on your hands. Tell me what I need to know. I came to learn."  
  
The first man stared at her, "We cannot give you knowledge. Only power."  
  
"Okay, know what I think? I'm not really here at all. None of this is actually happening, this is like a play, like a shadow play, like a non- reality re-enactment hologrammy. . ." Her rambling was interrupted with a Whack, the shadow man's staff cutting her theory short as it knocked her unconscious with one blow. Buffy crumbled to the ground and without another word the Shadow Men began to drag Buffy away, resuming their chant as they head towards a distant cave.  
  
Again I snapped back to reality. This time Alucard was sitting next to me, waiting patiently for me to come back. He glanced up at my movement, looking me over to make sure I was actually here.  
  
"Hey, you're back, how was the trip?" He asked, looking me over.  
  
I just sat there, a bit shaken. What had happened? Was Buffy okay? Sense when could I understand Swahili? Well, I probably couldn't anymore, but that wasn't the point.  
  
"The trip?" I asked meekly, trying to come up with an answer. "God I'm sounding repetitive but I honestly don't know."  
  
"Gotcha, no big deal," Alucard said with a shrug. "It'll probably make sense at the end." If only I was as sure as he was. He shifted position to get a better look at me. "Well, for the status report, as far as I can tell from being trapped outside the house, the vampire left, and everyone's upstairs working the mojo or what ever."  
  
"Spike left? Was he in one piece?" I asked, concerned.  
  
Alucard's eyebrows narrowed. "Why so much concern for the vamp?" he asked.  
  
I opened my mouth to answer, then hesitated. What to tell him? "He's an old friend of mine," I answered, not making Alucard feel any better about whatever was bugging him.  
  
"Yeah, he's fine. Could be better though," Alucard said. "The other guy went after him though, the black one? Don't know his name. Don't think he likes this 'Spike' much though."  
  
"Principal Wood?" I asked, Alucard shrugged. "Don't really know him. . . I think he's the son of a slayer, or something like that."  
  
That got Alucard interested. "A Slayer's boy, huh? Wonder how that came about."  
  
I didn't know. Early pregnancy to say the least. It didn't really matter though. My guess was that Wood just didn't like a vampire hanging around. After all, his mom was killed by one.  
  
"Look, maybe I should check on everyone," I suggested getting to my feet. The idea was quickly vetoed, though. A dizzy spell washed over me before I could even stand strait. "Or I'll just sit here," I said lamely as I fell back to the stairs.  
  
"You okay?" Alucard asked, concerned.  
  
I shrugged. "I will be," I said. "Just not feeling too peachy at the moment."  
  
He nodded as he helped to steady me. "Maybe you should go inside," he suggested.  
  
"Um, yeah, sounds good," I agreed. My mind started to shift though, back to the desert. I wasn't sure I would make it into the house.  
  
"Liz?" Alucard asked.  
  
I wasn't feeling good, and suddenly I wasn't feeling safe. Not because of Alucard, but I felt something else in the area. Not knowing what I shivered again, half from the cold and half from fear.  
  
"Alucard, I'm about to zone out again. Something's not right out here so I'm inviting you inside. If you kill anyone I swear I will make you wish you were dead," even weak I managed to sound threatening. Of course if Alucard really wanted to kill someone he could start with me and there would be nothing I could do to stop him.  
  
He didn't suddenly attack me though, so I didn't feel too bad. Instead he carefully picked me up. I frowned, not wanting him to carry me, but I couldn't do anything about it. My mind was already fading back to Buffy. I glanced out at the woods before blacking out, and I think I saw someone. I'd never be sure, but at that moment I would have bet anything that there were vamps watching us.  
  
Buffy was slumped against a wall, head bowed and unconscious. The three men were just standing, staring at her. Slowly Buffy began to move again. She lifted her head to look around and spotted the Shadow Men. Standing slowly she begins to walk towards them, then stopped, realizing that she was chained to the wall.  
  
"What is this?" She asked, demanding an answer.  
  
"We are at the beginning," the second shadow man said, not answering her question the way she intended it.  
  
The third man said, "The source of your strength. The well of the Slayer's power."  
  
"This is why we have brought you here." The first man finished.  
  
"I thought I brought me here," Buffy stated. The three men stayed silent as they stared at her. In unison they began pounding their staves into the ground, rhythmically as Buffy continued to talk. "Listen to me. I'm already the Slayer. Bursting with power - don't need more thanks. You're wasting time! I'm here to learn - I need to know how to fight The First."  
  
"The first Slayer did not talk so much," The first man said in a monotone voice.  
  
For the first time I actually began to look around. We were in a ritual chamber, the floor being painted with an ornate, swirling symbol. I took a few steps back, taking it all in. Even though no one was paying attention to me I felt as if I was being watch, examined. I studied everyone closer, wondering if there might be a way I could help Buffy, wondering if I should.  
  
The men continue to chant as one of them suddenly stepped forward, holding a small, wooden box. He placed it on the floor in the center of the painted symbol, opening it carefully. All three Shadow Men stepped away, standing like guardians around the box as they held their staffs.  
  
"Herein lies your truest strength," said the first man.  
  
"The energy of the demon. Its spirit."  
  
"Its heart."  
  
"This is how you. . ." Buffy started.  
  
The first man finished for her. "Created the Slayer? Yes."  
  
"Bastards," Buffy says softly, her eyes shining with anger.  
  
"This is how we did so then. How we will do so now." Slowly a mist began to rise out of the box, creeping its way slowly into the air. "This is how it must be." The mist continued rising, growing fuller and taking shape.  
  
"It must become one with you," said the third.  
  
"I get a say in this and I'm saying no," Buffy said, watching the mist rise.  
  
"Merge, live, and grow inside you," the second continued.  
  
"No!" Buffy shouted, trying to pull free of the chains.  
  
"This is how it was then. How it must be now," The first man said.  
  
The second continued. "This is all there is." The men continued to pound their staffs.  
  
Buffy continued to pull at her chains, but it didn't help. The mist began to swirl, to rise and climb high above the chamber floor as if it was a sentient creature sniffing out its prey, slowly circling the ritual chamber. Suddenly the mist 'saw' Buffy. It pulled back, preparing to strike, then thrust itself into her, streaming through her eyes, mouth, nose, anywhere it could get in. Buffy threw back her head and screamed, but the mist kept coming.  
  
"Stop!" I shouted, no one even noticed.  
  
Buffy violently shook her head, sending the mist out of her. She braced herself and took a step back, watching the dark mist that was stalking her as it swirled around the chamber. Buffy tried to get into some kind of defensive position as the mist once again began to rise. The chains slowed her movements as they rattled and held her to the wall.  
  
The mist attacked once again while Buffy was distracted with the chains. Once again it dived right into her, fanning out her clothes, blowing her hair wild. She screamed in agony as the mist dispersed around her and pulled back, collecting itself again for its next attack.  
  
"Make this stop!" Buffy cried out.  
  
"This is what you came for," Said the first shadow man.  
  
"You got the wrong slayer," Buffy said, "I'm not the first one."  
  
"We know."  
  
"She begged for us to stop," said the second man.  
  
"We did not then. We will not now." the third said, determined.  
  
The mist attacked her again, but Buffy rolled out of its path and the mist rose for another go. Buffy rushed towards the Shadow Men, but her chains held her back. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm already the slayer!" she shouted.  
  
"You came to us for help." the first man said as the mist dove again.  
  
"Do not fight this."  
  
"We only want to help you."  
  
Buffy didn't get a chance to respond as she had to move backwards, trying to avoid the mist, but the chains held her and it shot inside of her once again, leaving her screaming. The mist pulled back once again, Giving Buffy a break as she gasped for breath.  
  
"I can't fight this," Buffy stated as she kept moving back, pulling her chains taunt. "I know that now. But you guys? You're just. . . men."  
  
Suddenly she yanked on one of her chains, hard. It pulled out of the medal ring holding it to the ground. She swung it over her head a few times, ready to use it as a weapon and began to move with greater freedom.  
  
"Just the men who did this. To her. Whoever that girl was, before she was the Primitive. To me, if you could," Buffy said, her anger rising.  
  
The mist attacked again, but this time she sidestepped it with ease, still swinging the chain, and headed for the shadow men.  
  
"But you can't" she finished as she let loose with the chain. It whipped around one of the Shadow men's ankles. Buffy yanked on it, pulling the shadow man crashing to the floor.  
  
The first man started speaking, trying to make something out of the situation. "You don't understand. You need our power. To reject us is to disrupt the Slayer line."  
  
"You're making things worse."  
  
"Good," Buffy said defiantly.  
  
The men stood together, raising the quarterstaffs as they attacked Buffy. She handled the situation with ease, avoiding their staves and using the chain to wrap around one of the staves.  
  
"You think I came all this way to get knocked up by some demon dust? Think again, old guys," Buffy shouted.  
  
She pulled on the chain, pulling the staff with it. She grabbed the staff and whipped it around, nailing the man coming at her from behind.  
  
"You're only destroying yourself," The first shadow man said, trying desperately to stop Buffy, but getting nowhere by it.  
  
"Please, I died more times then you can count," Buffy replied as she took out the second shadow man with a quick hit. "I think you forgot one thing about power."  
  
I knew that Buffy was going to win this fight, and so did the men. Suddenly the man in front of her dropped his quarterstaff and just stood there, defeated but dignified. Buffy took her own staff and cracked it across her knee.  
  
"I am the power. Disrupting things is what I do."  
  
"We offered you power. You came for knowledge," the shadow man said sadly.  
  
"So tell me something I don't know," Buffy retorted.  
  
"As you wish," Smiling sadly he lifted his hand, Buffy warily let him touch her. He reached forward "Now you will see. But without the power I wish to know..." he began as he touched her head. "How will you save the world now?"  
  
Buffy froze, staring into nothing, or I should say, staring at whatever the man had shown her. She didn't notice the portal erupt behind her until it was dragging her in. Then she disappeared in a wave of blue light, leaving behind the beaten corpse of the demon who had shown up at the house.  
  
I stared, waiting to go back myself, but I didn't. I still stood standing in the cave, staring at the three men. The first was helping the other two to their feet. They picked up what was left of their quarterstaffs and just stood there for a moment. Finally one of them turned to me, for the first time actually looking at me.  
  
"Why have you returned?" He asked in a different language than before, but one I recognized, but couldn't name.  
  
I wasn't sure how to answer his question at first, but settled on saying, "This is my first time here."  
  
The man shook his head. "No, but I can see you don't remember."  
  
I looked at the three of them, glancing from one to another as they all stared steadily at me. "I don't understand, what don't I remember?"  
  
"Yourself," he stated. "You're people, who you were, what you are."  
  
Again I was staring dumbly. What were they talking about? "I know who I am."  
  
The man's face remained blank, but I had the feeling that he was laughing at me. "You know who you are now. That won't help you."  
  
Frowning and confused I just stood there, having so many questions that I wasn't sure which to start with.  
  
"Why do I need help? Can't you just explain things without the cryptic part?" I asked.  
  
The men were silent for a moment before the first one nodded. "You were Airaei, of the Lerian people. Born Slayer. Now, you're Elizabeth Blake. Always a Slayer."  
  
"To save the world you must remember who you were."  
  
I blinked. "What?"  
  
The man just smiled at me. He waved his hand, and things started to go fuzzy. Back to the real world I guess, but I didn't want to leave yet. There were so many questions that I needed to ask. Nothing made sense, what was he talking about?  
  
Before I could say anything else though, I was gone. For a moment I was only in darkness, waiting to show up back in my body.  
  
Then I was there, in the kitchen, blinking back the light before I rubbed dry eyes. My body was sore, making me wonder if I had been out of it long. It hadn't seemed like that long of a time, but maybe time was different in that world. Slowly I leaned back, taking a look at what was going on around me.  
  
No one was here at the moment other than Alucard, the girls must still be upstairs else they would be storming the place. Alucard was doing a good job of making a mess by himself though. He was wondering around the kitchen, going through cupboards as he searched for something. He glanced at me, seeing me up and moving.  
  
"Hey, welcome back," he said, "There's coffee made for you, if you wait a second I'll get you some."  
  
I smiled with a nod. "Caffeine good."  
  
He grinned as he grabbed a mug from one of the cupboards. "So, what happened?" Alucard asked while getting everything ready.  
  
"A lot," I said as he handed me the cup. "Thanks," he nodded. "Well... um... Buffy kicked ass, beat up some shadow men, got some bad news and left."  
  
Alucard raised an eyebrow. "That made so little sense, you know."  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, I know."  
  
"So what happened with you?" He asked.  
  
"I. . ." I murmured. "I'm not sure. I think the men told me something important, but I don't understand what they were talking about."  
  
"Really. . ." Alucard started, considering what I had said. "Shadow men, eh? Were they shadows or?"  
  
"The men from the shadow puppets, I think," I explained.  
  
Alucard nodded. "Weird. That made sense." He shrugged before continuing. "So what did they tell you?"  
  
I shrugged. "Well, a lot of stuff that didn't make that much sense," I stated.  
  
"Such as?" Alucard asked, rummaging through the fridge. He pulled out a package of blood, opened it and pored it into the cup.  
  
"I believe the exact words were 'To save the world you must remember who you were.'"  
  
Considering that Alucard put the blood in the microwave to heat it up. "Save the world, eh?" He asked. I nodded. "And did he say anything else about who you were?"  
  
"Yeah," I murmured, going over the conversation in my head. What did he mean? Who was Airaei and what were Lerians? I knew for a fact that I had never seen them before, I had never been there. Yet they seamed sure that I had.  
  
The microwave dinged and Alucard pulled the blood out, walking to sit on the other side of the table. "So? Are you going to zone out for the next few hours or are you going to explain what's going on?"  
  
"Have you ever heard of a Lerian?" He had been around awhile, he might know something.  
  
Alucard froze with his cup half way to his mouth. He stared at me as if he was startled more than surprise. Almost as if I had given him really bad news, though I wasn't sure why that would be. Alucard quickly got over it, finished taking his sip. He put the cup on the table and stared at me for a couple of minutes, thinking.  
  
Finally he spoke. "What else did they mention?"  
  
I wanted to know exactly what that had to do with anything, or at least have him explain why it mattered to him. I had the feeling that he wouldn't answer though, so I didn't bother to ask.  
  
"To sum it up, that I was Airaei, a Lerian, and now I'm Elisabeth Blake," I stated bluntly. "Does that mean anything to you?"  
  
Alucard was still staring, deep in thought. "Kind of. . . I've met up with a few Lerians, interesting people."  
  
"When did you meet them?" I asked, trying to figure out where I might get some information.  
  
"A long time ago, they're not around anymore." He stated.  
  
Frowning I asked, "Not around? Did they die off?"  
  
Alucard shook his head. "Nah, their race isn't like that. They don't really die in this dimension. They just left, went back to where they came from."  
  
Okay, he really wasn't helping with the confusion problem. "You know that you're making no sense, right?"  
  
Alucard nodded with a grin. "Just realized that, yeah."  
  
"So, could you explain what you're trying to say?" I requested.  
  
He nodded. "okay, the Lerians come from a different dimension. They send a group of five hundred or so, they hang around awhile, one to five hundred years, then they go back, taking with them all the information they gathered. They know more about just about every dimension then any other race as a whole."  
  
That mad more sense, except. . ."Why would he say I use to be one of them?"  
  
Alucard was about to say something, then he stopped himself. After a moment he answered with a shrug, "Sorry, don't know." It was my turn to take a moment to think, and he used the time to drink some more of his blood.  
  
"You know, Spike's going to be ticked you took his dinner," I stated, absently.  
  
Alucard shrugged. "I can take care of Spike, don't care if he's pissed."  
  
"Do you even know who he is?" I asked.  
  
He nodded. "I spent the day asking around on info about your new friends," he stated.  
  
"Asking who?"  
  
He shrugged again. "Demons, vamps, you know, they people who know about the slayer because they spend all their time avoiding her."  
  
"Ah, I see,"  
  
Footsteps sounded from the stairs, and I looked toward the door, hoping the Potentials weren't coming down stairs to go to bed. We wouldn't go out tonight, the day had been too eventful.  
  
"So, are we going after the watchers tomorrow?" Alucard asked, ignoring the oncoming people.  
  
I took a sip of my coffee, gagging at the warm taste. Alucard smirked and I got up to switch it for a new, still hot drink.  
  
"I actually have to talk to Buffy first," I stated. "She still doesn't know what's going on."  
  
"That's not good," Alucard murmured.  
  
"Hey, who're you?" Anya asked, walking into the kitchen. Alucard glanced up at her for a second before looking away again. "I'm talking to you," Anya snapped.  
  
"Shut up, Anya, I really don't want to listen to you right now," Alucard muttered, taking another drink from his own.  
  
Anya stared at him for a moment, her face in a mask of shocked recognization. She looked around the room, seeing me. "You! You invited him in here!" she asked making it more of a statement.  
  
"You know Anya?" I asked Alucard, who only nodded.  
  
"You did! I don't quite remember your name right now, but I'm getting Buffy and she's going to stake him!" Anya glared at Alucard before turning to storm off. Alucard was on his feet and blocking the doorway before I could blink.  
  
"Anya, calm down. If I wanted to kill everyone you'd be dead by now," he said it in a mocking tone, which wasn't helping the situation. I had forgotten to think through the someone might see that I invited a vampire into the house part and it was turning out to be a bit of a problem.  
  
Anya was actually not making this too bad. All she had to do was shout and someone would come running. Instead she was just standing defiantly, glaring at Alucard.  
  
"Okay, one of you explain what's going on?" I demanded.  
  
Anya just turned her glare on me, while Alucard watched with amusement. "You invited him in! He's a vampire, you should know that. He's a very evil and old vampire who likes hurting people!"  
  
"Anya, you know I haven't don't anything particularly gruesome for the last three hundred years or so," Alucard pointed out.  
  
"Who's version of gruesome?" Anya retorted, "You did things that even I thought was wrong. And I was one of the better vengeance demons."  
  
Alucard smirked, "You're just mad that you never got to cast one of your lovely spells on me. Sorry babe, you're going to have to live with it."  
  
"I didn't want to cast a spell on you, I would have been perfectly happy if you just met up with a nice slayer," Anya muttered.  
  
"And I did, if my memory serves me right, one that you happened to bring into the area," He pointed out.  
  
"And then you killed her," Anya snapped. "What's wrong with you? You were supposed to die."  
  
He shrugged. "You should have set me up with some mortal and have them make a wish. Would have been much simpler for you."  
  
"Okay, what happened between you two?" I asked, trying to cut off the current conversation, but I couldn't until I knew what was going on.  
  
Alucard moved away from the door, allowing Anya the chance to leave if she wanted it, but she didn't. Walking over to his cup he continued drinking as Anya began to answer.  
  
"Alucard here used to be a fan of using humans to get high. They'd take some drug and he'd get it through the blood. . ." Anya started to explain.  
  
"I know how it works," I stated, trying to get her to move on with the story. I'd seen plenty of vampires do that. They'd get their victims drunk or high, that way the humans wouldn't remember what happened, or believe it if they did, and the vamps could have a bit of fun.  
  
"Well, Alucard happened to try it on me when I was trying to get a girl to make a wish. Can you believe it, he thought I was human. The idiot actually tried to bite me, but he was kind of drunk at the moment so he wasn't all there. . ."  
  
Alucard cut in, speeding things up. "Yes, I was acting like an idiot when we met. But eventually we got involved, went on a few dates, had a nasty break up, needless to say she doesn't like me."  
  
"You make it sound like you didn't do anything wrong," Anya snapped before turning to me, "There were these two vampire chicks and-"  
  
"-Please, I really don't want to know," I stated. Chances are the story would get a little too detailed for me, and I wasn't interested on hearing that. Alucard was still standing out of the way, watching us with amusement. He didn't seem to care what Anya said at the moment.  
  
There was some information I wouldn't mind Anya telling me, though. "So, how long ago did all this take place?"  
  
Anya glanced at Alucard, doing some quick calculations. "Around seven hundred years ago?" She asked him, checking to make sure she was right.  
  
"Closer to eight," he murmured.  
  
I raised an eyebrow. "Eight hundred years old, you've been around awhile." I said to him before asking Anya, "So did he still go by Alucard then?"  
  
Anya shook her head. "No, that started a couple hundred years later. At the time he used a couple different names, but would claim none of them as the original. And he was around quite a time before we were a couple."  
  
Which probably meant he was at least over nine hundred. That was something to talk about later, though. At the moment, he didn't seem to be trying to hide any information, which he normally did. Anya liked to talk though, so if he tried to hide anything she'd probably just bring it up, so maybe it was safer to stay quiet. I'd help and not ask anymore questions at the moment, but that was mostly because I didn't want to risk some of the answers I'd get. Anya didn't really mind being graphic and there were many things I didn't need to know about Alucard.  
  
Speaking of Alucard, he was back to the fridge, searching for another package of blood that he promptly put in the microwave. "I can't believe your boy Spike drinks this daily, it's horrible."  
  
"Yes, well some vampires have souls," Anya muttered.  
  
Alucard smirked. "Yes, and I'm sure that helps."  
  
"What are you doing here anyway," Anya asked, going back to her first question.  
  
"Actually, that was what I was wondering," We all turned to see Spike standing in the doorway. He was staring at Alucard, who took a moment to stare back, looking him over. Both were sizing up the threat, but Alucard didn't seem threatened. It wasn't like when he met Zeke and we all stood on edge. It was more of checking to make sure the nuisance wouldn't get in the way.  
  
"You must be Spike," Alucard said, opening the microwave once it went off.  
  
Spike nodded slowly, turning his gaze to me. "Who is he?"  
  
"Alucard, the somewhat good guy," I stated.  
  
"Somewhat good guy?" Anya asked. "What do you mean, somewhat?"  
  
"He's a soulless vampire, what do you think she means," Spike muttered angrily, but not angry with Anya, angry with me. "What's he doing in this house?"  
  
"There were unusual circumstances," I stated, knowing that it wasn't much of an answer.  
  
Spike didn't like it in the slightest. "So you invite in a vampire? A very old master vampire?"  
  
"Oh, come now, as she said there were special circumstances, and I'd hardly call myself a master," Alucard stated, pulling Spikes anger away from me for a moment.  
  
"I know a master when I meet one," Spike stated.  
  
I spoke before anyone else got to, "That's nice, I don't. What makes the difference?"  
  
"Masters are typically over a thousand years old, and very evil, all wrinkly like," Anya stated.  
  
I glanced at Alucard, "He's in human mode now, and most vamps are wrinkly. . ."  
  
"No, I mean they're always that way. Their evil changes their looks permanently," Anya explained, in one of those moments when she's acting smart.  
  
"I'm not a master," Alucard said again.  
  
Spike rolled his eyes. " I know you are. Now say what you're doing her so that we can get you out."  
  
"I'm going to get Willow," Anya said to Spike before throwing another glare at Alucard and heading out of the room.  
  
"Willow's the witch, right?" Alucard asked me.  
  
"Doesn't matter," I said.  
  
Spike sighed. "While this is going well, answer the question already."  
  
"Sheesh, don't be in such a hurry," Alucard said, settling against the counter as he drank his blood. "I'm just here helping out Liz. Saved her life again, that's all."  
  
Spike threw me a questioning look I shrugged. "Long story?" I said in an attempt to explain.  
  
Suddenly Willow and Buffy walked in, followed closely by Xander and Anya, who had been talking but shut up when she entered. Buffy took one glance at Alucard before reaching for a stake that was conviently on the counter. Willow reached out and stopped her from doing anything at the moment, giving Alucard the chance to talk.  
  
"You know, I probably should be going," he said as he actually began to worry. While he was rather sure he could take on Spike, Buffy and Willow were a different story.  
  
Buffy took a moment to stare at everyone in the room, trying to pickup information from each of us. Slowly she crossed her arms, still holding the stake. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"  
  
Alucard looked at me, searching for an answer that wouldn't get him dusted. "I was just trying to help, don't kill me for doing a good deed," he muttered.  
  
"Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but do vampires actually do good deeds?" Xander asked.  
  
"Spike did," Anya stated.  
  
Xander nodded, "Yeah, but he had a chip in his head, that was different."  
  
"And don't compare us," Spike said.  
  
"Why not, you both have corny nicknames," Anya muttered.  
  
"Hey!" Alucard and Spike said at the same time.  
  
I grinned, "She's right you know," I stated, receiving a glare from Spike and a smirk from Alucard.  
  
"It was funny at the time," Alucard muttered.  
  
"That's nice and all, but who are you," Buffy said, taking charge of the conversation.  
  
Alucard shrugged, "Call me Alucard. Former sidekick to the guy who's trying to kill my friend Liz here, now somewhat good guy, as she put it."  
  
Xander laughed. "Alucard? Please, way over used."  
  
Alucard nodded. "Yes, but I was the first to use it so I can without regret. Ticked Dracula off a bit."  
  
"You knew Dracula?" Willow asked.  
  
Alucard nodded. "Said he did everything backwards, he took offense, saying something about me being the one backwards, so I said something about be a good old fashion Alucard, which didn't make him happy, but hey, I thought it was funny. Anyway, the name stuck."  
  
"Okay, back to the point though," It was Spike this time, "Why would you be helping Beth?"  
  
Spike shrugged. "That's actually a really good question, and I'm still working out the answer. Get back to me in a month or so I might have it."  
  
"Why are you inside?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Because I was about to pass out and there was something outside waiting to kill me, and I had the feeling Alucard wouldn't be able to stop it," I stated, speaking up.  
  
That got everyone's attention. "What would be outside waiting?" Willow asked.  
  
"Besides the monsters that make up half Sunnydale's population," Xander added.  
  
"A vampire, probably more than one," I stated.  
  
Alucard nodded. "He wouldn't have sent just one," he pointed out.  
  
"Unless it was just to check out what was going on around here. Then he wouldn't want to send too many," I suggested. Alucard nodded, admitting that it could be the case.  
  
"Who would send vampires after you? The First?" Buffy asked.  
  
I sighed. This was not how I had imagined explaining things. I suppose it was better then having a hand fold of potentials surrounding us though.  
  
As if irony wanted to torture me Kennedy and Dawn just walked in. "What's going on," Kennedy asked.  
  
"Beth was just about to tell us," Buffy said pointedly.  
  
There was no way not to feel self conscious with Buffy staring at me so intently. I was beginning to realize how everyone must have felt with Buffy addressing them. It was scary, but at the same time you couldn't be quiet, because she needed to know the answer. We kind of had to tell her.  
  
"No, the First has just about nothing to do with this. Other than it sending a bunch of Bringers after us during the summer and the incident with Chloe the First has left me alone," I stated.  
  
"So, who's the big bad guy here?" Xander asked, half joking.  
  
"He calls himself 'The Boss'-" I stared.  
  
Alucard butted in. "Actually, he doesn't call himself anything, he just lets everyone else call him that."  
  
"And the Boss is?" Buffy asked.  
  
"A vampire," I stated. "Alucard knows more about him than I do."  
  
Buffy glanced at Alucard. "Is that so?" She asked.  
  
Alucard nodded. "Yeah, I was hanging out with him for awhile."  
  
"What is he doing? This Boss?" Kennedy asked, all too eager to go kick some vampire ass. Her enthusiasm would get her killed if she wasn't careful.  
  
"At the moment trying to kill me," I stated.  
  
Several confused looks came my way. Again I sighed, I didn't want to have to explain everything all over again, but it looked like I wouldn't have a choice.  
  
"Why does he want you dead?" Anya asked. "You're just a Potential."  
  
Alucard chuckled, then hid his grin when he received another glare from Anya. Spike was keeping silent, biding his time before he talked. No one else knew anything so it was up to me to answer. God I hated being in charge.  
  
"I'm not a potential," I started, getting several different kinds of looks from all around the room.  
  
"Then what-"  
  
"I'm a Slayer."  
  
There was a pause, everyone stopping to make sure they heard me right.  
  
"I'm sorry, did you say Slayer?" Xander asked, confirming it. I only nodded.  
  
"How. . . When. . ." Willow started to ask, not sure where to start.  
  
"Because of me?" Buffy asked, getting over the shock. She looked so surprised and not sure of what to think. My guess was that she was comparing me to Faith, the rogue slayer.  
  
"Kind of, I'm not sure exactly why," I stated.  
  
"Well, you got the calling right? That's what makes us slayers," Kennedy said, with something like Jealousy in her voice. I stopped myself from making some smart-ass comment to her. It wouldn't be appreciated.  
  
Spike saw my frustration and decided that he could speak up now. "There's more to it then that," he started, drawing everyone's attention, with the exception of Alucard who took the opportunity to glance my way with a look that asked if I told Spike. I nodded and Alucard sat back to think.  
  
"How would you know?" Buffy asked, suspicious.  
  
"Beth and I had a little chat, but that's not the point," Spike stated. "She was a Slayer before Buffy, but got cursed. The curse kind of went away when Buffy died and came back to life the second time."  
  
"What sort of curse?" Willow asked, wondering if she might recognize it.  
  
I spoke up again, explaining basically what the curse did, and that it stopped my aging and basically didn't let me die.  
  
"So how long were you in that state?" Buffy asked.  
  
"One hundred and twenty years," I said as if it was nothing. More shocked looks came at me, but I was getting use to that.  
  
Xander raised his hand before speaking, "Out of curiosity, not to say she's lying, and I know we've dealt with weirder things, but, doesn't this sound a little far fetched?"  
  
No one said anything, but everyone was sort of silently agreeing. Until Spike spoke up. "I can vouch for her," he stated.  
  
"Did you run into her at some point?" Alucard asked, not sounding too happy about the idea. I wasn't sure why but he wasn't liking Spike at the moment.  
  
Spike shook his head. "No, just so happens though, that she's my sister."  
  
Everyone froze. They scoobies had been surprised when I said I was a slayer. Hell, the whole age thing had thrown them, but that was absolutely nothing compared to this reaction. I don't think one of them was breathing.  
  
"Sister?" Dawn squeaked, not even being able to sound right.  
  
Spike nodded.  
  
More silence.  
  
"You mean. . ." Xander looked from one of us to the other. "Wow."  
  
"They do sort of look alike," Dawn said. "Same chin, and the same eyes, just different colors..." Great, now they were going to start noticing all the things we did that were similar.  
  
Buffy was looking from Spike to me, then back to Spike. "Your sister?" She finally asked weakly. We both kind of stood there, waiting for her to say something else. "Why didn't you say anything?" she finally asked.  
  
"Mainly because we didn't actually see each other until this morning. Funny how you can live in the same house and never run into each other," I stated.  
  
"This is a really big deal, isn't it?" Kennedy asked. "Just the fact that she's a Slayer. . ."  
  
"Why didn't you tell us you were a Slayer?" Anya asked. I was wondering when someone would get back to that.  
  
"Because Jordan didn't want you all to be worried about all the problems that I brought with me," I stated.  
  
"What exactly are those problems?" Buffy wanted to know.  
  
"Mainly that the Boss has an army of vampires ready to come in here and slaughter all of us just to make sure that Liz here dies," Alucard said bluntly, getting strait to the point.  
  
"What?" Xander asked.  
  
I frowned, biting my lip. "Well. . ."  
  
"Who exactly is this 'Boss'?" Buffy asked Alucard, not me. She knew he would give her a direct answer.  
  
"The guy who's been uniting most of the vampires in the states under his rule for the past fifty or so years. He's got quite a group gathered," Alucard said.  
  
"And they're trying to kill you?" Buffy asked me. I nodded. "Why?"  
  
I took a deep breath, then blew it out slowly, trying to relax a little. "The Boss has a prophecy that says that if I live past May then I'll destroy all vampires, or something to that effect." I stated. "I think he misread it."  
  
"Do we have a copy of the prophecy?" Willow asked.  
  
I nodded and pulled out the book. "If you can read it be my guest."  
  
It got passed over to her and she looked inside. I knew instantly she didn't have a clue what any of it meant. "What language is this, do you know?" She asked.  
  
"Lerian," Alucard stated. I paused a moment before turning to stare at him, my confusion being a different type then everyone else's. He didn't look back.  
  
"Never heard of that. . . Is it old?" Willow asked.  
  
"Very."  
  
"Do we have anyone who can translate it?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Not likely," Alucard said. "I understand a few words, but that's it."  
  
"So is he here as your interpreter?" Spike asked, bringing me back to the issue of Alucard.  
  
"No, he's here as my. . . well, he was a prisoner. Kind of. Now he's a guide so to speak," I said, trying not to confuse them but being confused myself.  
  
"A guide to what?" Dawn asked.  
  
"My watchers, I have three other ones," I said quickly, trying to avoid unnecessary questions. More questions came, and I answered them. It would have been easier if I just went from the beginning to the end instead of jumping around, but it didn't work that way. After another half hour of questions and answers everyone kind of had a feel for what was going on.  
  
"So, when do we go get the watchers?" Kennedy asked.  
  
"Tomorrow if you're ready," Alucard stated. "It's going to get a bit sunny out before we'd get back, so I'm thinking it's best to wait.  
  
Buffy nodded. "Fine. That works. Now get out," she said to Alucard. "You can come back tomorrow."  
  
Alucard glanced at me, as if I might say something else. I didn't. So with a shrug he turned for the door. "I'll be back around sunset." Then he left without a backwards glance, leaving us to talk about him.  
  
"Alucard, eh?" Xander started. "Don't like the guy. Willow, how about a spell?"  
  
She nodded. "Already working on it. I'm going to need some supplies and the shop doesn't open till tomorrow."  
  
"Fine. Tomorrow you get them," Buffy stated. "For tonight, caste some sort of shield so that he can't come back in."  
  
"And tomorrow he's uninvited, no problem," Willow finished.  
  
Buffy turned to me. "I don't know what you were thinking, or what was going on, but don't ever invite a vampire into this house again, understand?" I nodded slowly, waiting for her to go into some sort of speech. She didn't, but instead turned back to the group and continued talking.  
  
After awhile I excused myself and went off to find a blanket and some spot to sleep in. The couch was taken as were the chairs and probably anything else that was soft. I found a pair of pajamas and rolled out a sleeping bag. I was surprised to find out how tired I was. Almost at the moment I laid down I was sleeping.  
  
~  
  
Gidgetgirl: Hey! Thanks for review, and for testing the stories! (the lack of mistakes was because I have a good beta tester ^.^) Yeah, I've given some thought on the whole Spike not being happy about a relationship thing. Anyway, thanks for review! I'll try to get the next chapter to you soon, It'll be long again, sorry, but then we should have a short one. Maybe.  
  
Maude: You reviewed! And you read it! *looks all happy like* Glad you're liking it, read some other fanfictions! There are a lot of good ones! Check out some of the people who've reviewed my stories, I find some of the best stories that way.  
  
Beyondthesilence: ^.^ I was hoping it would be a surprise. It was planned sense the beginning though, So it didn't seem like a surprise to me. Yeah, the stories getting more exciting. . . Got something planned for Alucard next chapter to make everyone hate him. Kind of. Thanks for the words, I'm just not good at fitting them in. O.o Yeah, it's following season seven, some of the script is the same. Anything that sounds like it's something the characters would actually say, I probably didn't write it. There might be a few more grammar mistakes this time cause I didn't wait to get the chapter back from gidgetgirl. Hope you liked it though.  
  
Thanks for reading! 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
"Airaei?" I turned to see who said my name. Wait, was that my name? For a moment I wasn't sure, but I looked for the voice anyway.  
  
He wasn't here. I know who it was, some part of me did anyway, but he wasn't here. I wasn't even sure of where here was.  
  
I couldn't describe the place. While there wasn't exactly anything here, there was me. All of me. I filled it, every though, every memory. It was all me. Not my mind though,. No, my mind was still inside my body, which was at the center of everything. I stood in the middle of wherever I was, seeing nothing yet experiencing everything that past by.  
  
"Airaei. . ." That name again, different voice this time, still male but it sounded older and disappointed. It was a fragment of something, a memory I couldn't hold onto.  
  
Where was I?  
  
*The Vault.*  
  
An answer to my question, just a memory floating by, but my mind grabbed at it, knowing it would help me. The vault? Some part of me knew what it was, it was after all my memory. I couldn't hang onto the memories though. Perhaps if I thought about something else, maybe it would answer those questions.  
  
Who am I?  
  
*Airaei, Learian human.*  
  
*Elisabeth, human, Slayer.*  
  
Two answers? I couldn't be two people. Which one was I?  
  
~  
  
My eyes snapped open. Where was I? What just happened? Things had seemed strange and then- well, I couldn't remember what happened then.  
  
Carefully I sat up, looking around. It was just a dream. Nothing important, I always remembered the important ones. Glancing out the window I saw that it was just getting light out. None of the Potentials were awake yet. I didn't need to get up, but I didn't feel like sleeping. Shrugging I got to my feet. Why should it matter?  
  
It was only a dream.  
  
~  
  
If silence could echo it would have been bouncing of the walls. We were all considering the plan for tonight. It was logical, nothing that I had a problem with, but unusual for everyone else. After all, who ever heard of Buffy being the one to stay at home?  
  
She couldn't come, we knew that. If she did we would be leaving the Potentials defenseless in a very dangerous situation. We couldn't trust Alucard not to be playing us. I didn't point out that my instincts said to trust him, they also said he was a lying lunatic.  
  
But back to the point: Buffy wasn't going. Willow was. I had the joy of taking Willow and Spike on the rescue expedition. Alucard had actually called earlier, looked up the number in the phone book. All he needed to know is if we could use one of the scoobie's cars. We all voted on Xander's, against his wishes, but that's what we were taking.  
  
Now we knew what we were doing, for the most part, and we were all waiting on Alucard, who was coming and would be here soon. Dawn had been staring out the window ever sense the sun set, making sure we knew when he was coming. Almost exactly a half hour after sunset the doorbell rang. Dawn looked up, surprised, not having seen anyone show up.  
  
"Don't worry, Alucard has the ability to be invisible," I half joked, not knowing whether or not it was really a lie. While it was never proven there have been plenty of times were he was rather sneaky.  
  
Buffy answered the door and we all trooped out, Willow taking the lead and Spike coming out behind me. We got into the car, Willow and me in the front seat while the vampires shared the back. Both vamps weren't happy and they kept sending glares to each other, it was kind of funny to watch.  
  
Willow was driving, being the only one with a real license. We didn't want complications, so we were following the law, even if we could all drive.  
  
Again there was the silence thing. It lasted around half an hour before Willow broke it. I don't think anyone else would have, no matter how uncomfortable or annoying it got.  
  
"So, what exactly are we doing?" Willow asked.  
  
Alucard shrugged, really looking at her for the first time since we got into the car. "Showing up at the house, going inside, grabbing the watchers and leaving."  
  
Willow nodded. "Where are they staying?"  
  
"With a bunch of Wiccas. Your type of people. You should get along great," he said dryly, turning back to the window.  
  
Willow glanced back at him, frowning. "Fine, be a grump, just trying to start conversation.  
  
"Ignore him, he's trying to get on your nerves," I stated, not returning the glance Alucard gave me. It was true and he knew it. If he wanted them to think something else he could have his own argument. He didn't disagree with me, though.  
  
Instead he chose to change the topic. "So he's your brother?" Alucard asked me. I nodded. "How long did you know he was staying with Buffy?"  
  
"Almost two days," I stated.  
  
"Why do you care?" Spike muttered.  
  
Alucard grinned at him with a shrug. "Be a grump, just trying to start conversation," he said, mimicking Willow. He actually sounded like her, in a male way. Somehow he had used the same tone and actually pulled it off.  
  
Spike turned to glare at him. "Fine then, for conversations sake, how old are you?"  
  
Alucard just continued grinning. "Older than you. Older than Anya," he glanced at me for a moment. "If you guess right I'll tell ya."  
  
"You're over a thousand?" Willow asked, sounding surprised. I hadn't assumed any age for him, and it was easy to believe what he was saying. I had no reason not to. "Then why isn't he like the master was?" Willow asked Spike.  
  
Spike shrugged slowly. "Got a few theories on vampires like him. Nothing proven though," he stated.  
  
"Vampires like me?" Alucard asked.  
  
Spiked nodded. "The really old annoying ones? Yeah, you guys," he stated.  
  
Alucard wasn't grinning, but he wasn't glaring either. He knew Spike was trying to bug him and was trying not to let it work. "So how old are you?"  
  
"145," Spike said simply, not having anything to hide.  
  
Alucard nodded, as if it confirmed his suspicions to something. "So you were what, twenty-five when you died?" Spike nodded. "Eight years older than Beth, have any other brothers or sisters?"  
  
"No," Spike answered.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Mum was sick a lot," I answered quickly, leaving it at that. It wasn't a happy topic, but a true one. She had gotten worse during the years when I was a Slayer, and I hadn't been home much to help her. Mostly it had been just her and William.  
  
In any case, Alucard stopped asking questions and the car resumed its silence, with the exception of Alucard occasionally giving directions to Willow. I let myself fall asleep to kill time, and didn't wake up until someone was shoving me from the back seat.  
  
"Hey Liz, time to get up. We're here at the witch's house," Alucard said as I blinked myself awake. Willow and Spike were getting out of the car already. Stretching I opened the door and took a look at the house.  
  
It looked old and was going for a Victorian theme. While the house looked worn, it also looked neat and kept up. There was a very nice porch that circled the house, with seats and flowers all over the place on it. Window boxes with runes carved into them held flowers and herbs. All in all it looked like the sort of place you might meet up with a nice old witch. All it needed was to be painted black with a few bats and it would be perfect.  
  
"So this is the place?" Spike asked, Alucard nodded. "You couldn't have just given us directions?"  
  
"I'm supposed to show up to prove it's you," Alucard stated with a shrug. "Their rules, not mine."  
  
I pushed past both of them, heading for the door. "Doesn't matter, we're here. Let's grab the watchers and go." They all followed me to the porch where I rang the door bell and waited.  
  
The door opened to a plump older woman, dressed in an old flower print dress and an apron. She quickly grabbed her glasses and put them on before looking us over one by one. Her eyes rested on Alucard when she finished. "It's you again," she didn't sound too pleased.  
  
"Hey sweet," Alucard teased. The woman all but rolled her eyes. "Brought the Slayer and her friends. Here to see the watchers and all that."  
  
The lady looked from me to Willow then back to me. "That one?" She pointed to me. I nodded. The lady turned back to Willow. "You're a witch, not a Slayer."  
  
Willow nodded with a smile. "It's nice to meet you. I was hoping maybe we could take a minute to talk? It's been awhile since I've been able to have a decent conversation with a coven."  
  
The lady smiled. "Of course, if you'd come inside?" She glanced at Alucard with a frown. "All of you?" She resented having to ask him in. We all walked inside, following her, except for Spike, who hit an invisible wall before he came in.  
  
"What the-wait!" Spike snapped. "You invited us all in!"  
  
The woman looked back, her face flashing surprise for a moment before she calmed down. "Oh, yes, well, I didn't mean you. You're a vampire. It's bad enough having him here," She pointed to Alucard. "We don't need you too."  
  
"He has a soul-" Willow started.  
  
The lady shrugged. "He's a vampire. He's evil." I wasn't so sure that was the case, but it wasn't my place to argue at them moment.  
  
I just watched her, something wasn't right. She invited us all in, Spike included. I turned to look back at Spike, and had the strangest feeling, one I couldn't quite place. I didn't have time to think about it, though. The woman was moving on, and Spike was stuck outside. I threw him an apologetic glance but kept walking, thinking about our situation while I did so.  
  
When had I felt like that before? It was as if. . . there was no one here. That didn't make sense, why would there be no one here? There was us, the witch, Willow, Alucard and me. I turned around once more, trying to figure it out, and then I placed it.  
  
Suddenly I froze, turning to face the others who were still walking towards the end of the hallway. "Alucard?"  
  
He paused, glancing back at me. "Yeah?"  
  
"How many witches are here?" I asked.  
  
He shrugged, "At least a dozen. . . why?"  
  
"You sure?"  
  
He paused again, this time as if to check something, the woman turned around to look at him before he answered. "Funny. . . yeah, there was about a dozen, but. . ."  
  
"No one's here." I answered for him.  
  
"What are you talking about?" the woman asked. "Come on, they're just through this door," she stated. I didn't move. "What's wrong? What do you mean there's no one here?" I just stared at her, trying to figure out what was happening. "Do you have some sort of spell?" she continued. "Wait, that's it. You have a spell!" Suddenly she chuckled. "Oh, I'm sorry, I should have said something. We have so many protective spells that if you bring any more in they get fuzzled. Things just don't work right."  
  
Alucard didn't look sure. I was watching him now, looking for an answer in his face. He wasn't looking at me though, but instead at the woman. What she said seemed to convince him. "Yeah, that's probably it, come on Liz."  
  
Not that I actually knew what was going on, or had a decent theory for that matter, but I didn't feel that we were safe. I knew the spell, it had been used against me before. But we were in a house of witches, they might have a reason for the spell. I couldn't think of any at the moment, but then I wasn't a witch. Willow was, she wasn't seeing anything wrong. Alucard wasn't having any problems. It was just me.  
  
I was a firm believer in nagging doubts though. They were there for a reason. So even when I caught up to the others I pulled Willow back, mainly to keep her behind me in case anything did show up. She gave me a questioning glance and I just shook my head. I'd explain later.  
  
"The watcher's rooms are right over here," the lady was explaining to Alucard as she led him to a door. I watched every move she made, watching for her to slip up some way, to tell me that something was wrong. But she didn't. Alucard knew her so it wasn't like she was some fake thrown in.  
  
Unless Alucard was working against us.  
  
I didn't believe it. Back to the nagging doubt thing, it wasn't working against Alucard. Every instinct I had was saying to trust him, that he wasn't lying. But sense when did a vampire have that effect on a Slayer? The more I thought about it the worse I felt about this situation.  
  
The lady was opening the door now. I tensed, waiting for something to jump out at us. Nothing did. The room was empty of people. Unless the furniture was planing to attack we were safe.  
  
She motioned us in and Alucard went first. He glanced around the room casually before turning back to us. Willow walked in next and I followed her. There weren't any other doors and I didn't see anyone. Quickly I turned back to the lady, but the door had shut and she was still outside the room.  
  
"Okay, something's wrong here," Willow said, reading my thoughts.  
  
Alucard nodded. "Yeah, I'd agree with that."  
  
"What's going on," I started, then everything shimmered. For a moment it was like I was seeing things under water, then things became too clear.  
  
I didn't know who invited all these vampires in, but someone had a death wish. Either that or all these people lived here and they made the mistake of bringing in the wrong vampire. I shot a look at Alucard who wasn't paying attention to me while he stared at the vampires surrounding us.  
  
"Oh boy," Willow murmured. "This is when we run right?"  
  
"Problem: there's no where to run," I muttered. "Anyway to fix that?"  
  
Willow didn't get a chance to answer because the vampires chose that moment to attack. For the first few minutes I just focused on avoiding getting eaten. After a few nicely placed punches though I managed to pull out a stake and lower the vampire population.  
  
Then I saw Alucard doing the same thing. He had led us here, to an obvious trap, and now he was helping us. It didn't make sense, but nothing really did so that was okay.  
  
I took the next moment to check on Willow, who had been thrown around the room but was now mostly being left alone. I looked closer to make sure she wasn't dead. She was only a little dazed so things were okay. If I brought back a dead Willow Buffy Would kill me. Best not to do that then.  
  
"Okay, got a question," Alucard shouted as he kicked a vampire away.  
  
I grabbed a vampire's arm and threw him into another one while shouting back, "Okay, what is it?"  
  
"You knew something was up, right?"  
  
Someone kicked me in the back, I fell to the ground. "Yeah, why?" I rolled over in time to avoid someone breaking a bone.  
  
"How did you know? I couldn't sense anything wrong," Alucard said.  
  
I rolled back onto my feet, getting my balance quickly before someone had a chance to knock me back down again. Someone kicked at me but I grabbed their leg and swung it around so that he hit another vampire. "Oh, the lady out there wasn't human. There was a reversal spell put on the place. You should know that though. I have a strong suspicion you helped to set this up."  
  
I caught a glimpse of Alucard for a moment. He had stopped fighting long enough to let someone get a good hit on him, doubling him over. If I didn't know any better I'd think he was surprised that I said that. "I didn't set you up," he yelled above the fight. I ignored him.  
  
When I heard Latin I turned to Willow, who was back on her feet. She was casting some spell that I couldn't understand. I really did need to learn Latin, if only to make out what all these annoying spells were for. What ever it meant it helped. After a few choice phrases on Willow's part the spell exploded outwards, knocking me off my feet, but doing the same to the vampires.  
  
When it was over they weren't moving, but I was.  
  
Slowly I stood up, looking around the room of frozen vampires. "What'd you do?"  
  
"Quick, it only effects the vampires in the house," Willow explained. "And I don't know if it'll last."  
  
I nodded, running over to her side of the room to look out of the window. Sure enough there were vampires outside, but from the looks of it they were guarding the front door, where Spike was. "Okay, enough said, follow me."  
  
I took a few steps back, looking around the room. There wasn't any furniture left in tact to help me so I gave up on the idea of using it to break the window. Instead I just jumped through it, shattering the glass, but making an easier way out of the house. I took a second to check for any major cuts before calling for Willow to follow me. I helped her out the window before heading for the front of the house where Spike was dealing with his own group of vamps.  
  
"Any chance of a repeat of that spell?" I asked.  
  
Willow shook her head. "We have to be in an inclosed area."  
  
I shrugged. "It was worth a shot. Guess I'll do this the old fashion way," I muttered as I pulled out a stake. Willow wasn't armed though so I tossed it to her as the first batch of vamps attacked. Clumsily she caught it, but at least she was armed now.  
  
I blocked the first punch but took the second in the gut. Gasping in pain I ducked another punch before jumping to avoid being tripped. I took a second to get a feel for what was going on before punching back, nailing one of the vamps in the chin before doing a jump kick to knock another onto the ground. I glanced at Willow to make sure she was okay, then grabbed on of the vampires attacking her long enough for her to stab it. It burst into dust in my hands as another vamp kicked me forwards, knocking me into Willow. Luckily she had moved the stake else I would have been skewered.  
  
"Stay down for a second," I requested as I grabbed the stake and hopped back to my feet, standing over her. She was too scared to move, which worked for me. At least I wouldn't have to worry about where she was.  
  
Four vampires attacked at once. I threw the stake into one of their hearts, making him dust as I jumped up and flipped over the vampire coming from behind. I kicked him forward, making him trip over Willow, who flinched out of the way so that he didn't land on top of her. She was smart enough to grab the stake that was near her and kill the vamp before he could return the favor.  
  
The other two had to quickly change directions for the charge to still work. I easily tripped one before the other picked me up and threw me into the nearby porch. Hissing in pain I climbed to my feet, or tried to. My entire right leg hurt, which made sense because it had cushioned the fall. Spike noticed my dilemma and took the time to help me to my feet.  
  
"You okay?" he asked as he casually blocked an attacker.  
  
I shrugged. "Could be worse, but the entire walking concept isn't looking too cheerful."  
  
Spike nodded. "Stay here, don't get killed," he stated before running to help Willow, who was the main target for attack.  
  
Unfortunately the vampires were after me, so I couldn't stay still for long. The same guy who had thrown me before decided it would be fun to pick me up and throw me again. This time I landed in the middle of the yard, again on my leg. I glanced up, looking around for something to help me. I didn't even have a stake. There wasn't anything, though. Nothing but advancing vampires.  
  
I stood up anyway, ignoring the throbbing pain as I did so. There would be time to deal with that later.  
  
"Liz, Duck!" I heard a shout from behind me. I didn't waste the time looking to see who had said it but dropped to the ground immediately, turning as I did so to catch a glimpse of what was going on behind me.  
  
The vampires from the house were unfrozen, and one of them had a crossbow, aimed for where I had been standing, and the bolt already launched. It missed me though, and landed in the heart of another vampire. He burst into dust, but that didn't make me feel any better.  
  
The vampires out numbered us and I had no clue by how much. All I knew is that they kept coming. Three against all of them weren't good odds, even if Alucard was helping us. He had been the one who warned me, and he was fighting the vampires. So while one would only assume he brought us here as a set up, I had to consider the fact that he was still helping us. That wouldn't be a ruse, too, would it?  
  
There wasn't time for thinking about it though, I had to try to find a way out of this mess.  
  
The obvious thought would be why not just take the car. All the lovely vampires had considered that option, and had been nice enough to trash it so there was no chance of us getting anywhere in it. Any teleporting spells Willow might use could be too risky, and I seriously doubted we'd be able to outrun everyone. We'd have a hard enough time getting to the road.  
  
I didn't give the vampires any more opportunities to throw me across the yard, but was still stakeless so the numbers weren't going in my favor. While the vampires kept coming we were still holding our own, kind of, which caused me to wonder why they weren't throwing something else at us. Sure, the set up was nice, and the trap went rather well on their part, but why not have someone here to finish us off?  
  
Didn't really have time to think about that, either. Spike had thrown me a stake and I easily dusted several of the vampires around me. The fight was starting to feel almost routine so even though it was difficult it was nothing I couldn't handle.  
  
Suddenly the vampires pulled back, regrouping elsewhere. Some ran into the house, some ran into the woods around us. I wasn't sure whether or not to be happy or worried that they left so quickly.  
  
"Spike, do you feel anything odd?" I asked, looking around for a threat.  
  
Spike was shaking his head. "No, I don't, but we should be leaving, anyway."  
  
"How?" Willow asked. "Xander's car is. . ."  
  
"Trashed? Yeah, I know," I stated. "But we can't stay here."  
  
Tires squealed on the road and we all turned to see a SUV speeding into the driveway. The crunch of gravel was the only sound and we all just kind of stood watching. Surely the Boss wouldn't send his secret weapon against us in a Honda.  
  
When the SUV came to a stop right behind where Xander's car lay ruined. The doors opened and two people got out.  
  
Todd looked around the yard before his eyes settled on me. "Beth! You're okay! What'd you go and kill them all for we were coming to rescue you."  
  
Spike looked at them skeptically. "I take it you know them?"  
  
I nodded, not moving forward to great them. "Yeah, the watchers I've been telling you about," I stated. "But they were supposed to be in there," I pointed to the house. "And if they were they're probably dead."  
  
"Vampires?" Willow asked.  
  
Lloyd was nodding. "Good, you're not taking risks. And if you even think of letting your guard down I'll have one of the buggers change me just so I can come back and bite you," he said dryly. "But I have the feeling the vampires aren't all dead, and we should get out of here before they come back."  
  
He sounded like Lloyd, and Todd sounded like Todd. Chris was even still in the car looking like a scared mouse. For all I knew they could be humans, but that didn't explain them showing up right as the threat disappeared, or how they knew we'd be here.  
  
Spike was thinking somewhere along those lines. "I'm not thinking it would be a good thing to trust them, pet," he stated.  
  
"Don't slayers have some mystical ability to sense these kind of things?" Willow asked.  
  
I only shrugged. "It hasn't been working to well," I stated.  
  
"Okay, discuss this in the car," Todd said. "I'm not trusting the sudden silence, we need to get out of here."  
  
He had a point, as did everyone here at the moment. The main points were simple. By all reason the watchers should be dead, and were probably vampires. We couldn't wait until sun light to come to tell us because Spike was a vampire. We couldn't hang around here because there were other vampires, and probably much bigger nasties that scared the vampires away. so we had to get out of here, and the watchers were the best way out, assuming that they weren't trying to kill us. Then again, if they were trying to kill us why not just have let the vampires finish us off? Hell, we'd be long dead in a million ways if they just wanted to kill us.  
  
Which made me wonder if the watchers were here for another reason. Again with the no time to figure it out.  
  
"Come on, let's get out of here," I muttered, walking towards the watchers. The others hesitated a little, but we all got in, including Lloyd and Todd, who took the front seats. Todd grinned back at me, kind of saying hello, before Lloyd started the car and pulled out of the drive way.  
  
The ride was another one filled with awkward silence. I took the time to introduce everyone to each other, which went okay. Chris was sitting next to Spike, and the moment he found out that Spike was a vampire he tried to get further away. Which didn't work because we were all crammed together.  
  
The two hours managed to seam longer than the first ride, even without Alucard tagging along. I couldn't wait until we got back to Buffy's house.  
  
The living room lights were still on, even though it was late. My guess was that someone was waiting up for us. "Willow, head on in and tell everyone not to invite these guys into the house," I requested. Willow nodded and we all climbed out of the car, with her going inside immediately afterwards.  
  
"So what are we doing about them," Spike asked, nodding towards the watchers.  
  
Lloyd grinned. "You don't have to do anything, we're not going to be staying here," he stated. I shot him a questioning glance. "We don't have time to explain everything tonight. We're not vampires, I'll barge into that house to prove it, but for now we have to leave."  
  
Okay, that was sudden. "Why? Buffy can make room for one night, I know it's crowded but-"  
  
"Don't worry about it," Todd butted in. "We might not be supernatural but we've managed to take care of ourselves so far, right?"  
  
He had a point, but where did they need to go? What was going on? Why were they alive? All good questions no one felt like answering. And there was nothing I could do about it.  
  
"Fine, whatever. I'm going to assume you have our number. Jordan's not here right now, he's off with Giles. Call if you need help," I said with a sigh. I'd been up too late to think strait, but I wasn't tired. So I was just going to keep things simple until someone bothered to explain what was going on. With that in mind I wished them good bye, and followed Spike towards the house.  
  
"So that's it?" Spike asked right outside the door. "The whole bloody fight to save those guys and then they just leave?"  
  
I nodded. "Looks like it."  
  
"Why'd we even bother with it?" Spike muttered.  
  
"Because I had to," I stated. "Doesn't matter now, don't wanna think about it."  
  
He shrugged. "Fine pet, but explain everything to me when you do."  
  
I nodded and we walked inside.  
  
Buffy and Xander were talking to Willow. They all turned and looked at us when we came in. "Where are the old guys?" Xander asked, somewhat cheerful. Willow must not have mentioned the car yet.  
  
"They're not staying. Don't know the story, don't really understand anything from tonight. Willow can fill in the details." I stated with a shrug. "I'm going to go for a walk, maybe kill a vampire."  
  
Buffy frowned. "You look kind of tired."  
  
"I'm fine," I stated, taking a step towards the door. "I'll see all of you in a bit, just need some time to think." I all but ran from the door avoiding any further questions.  
  
One outside I slowed down and took a breath. I needed to relax, take some time to cool down. I had lied to the scoobies. I didn't need any time to think. I needed time to stop thinking. To not worry. If any vampires were stupid enough to attack me then they deserved what was coming to them.  
  
~  
  
First of all, sorry I took so long. Truly was my fault and I can blame it on nothing other than the fact that I'm lazy. Well, I could come up with many plausible true excuses, but it all come down to me being lazy. I'll just leave it at that.  
  
Next, this chapter we discussed age. Now, if you can figure out exactly how old Spike is I congratulate you because the show seems to be doing a great job of confusing it. The website says one thing, but I wasn't sure if it meant he died in a certain year or was born in it. So I simply choose that he was born in it. His age is actually brought up a few times in the series. In season two he's just under two hundred, in season four he actually say s that he's 'only 126' and in season seven Wood makes some reference to it. So I choose my own age and from now on in this story that's how old he is. Sorry for any confusion.  
  
Hey, and one last thing before the thank you. I have a deadline for this story now. I need to have it finished early June because if I don't you're going to have to wait six weeks for the ending. So I'm going to try very hard to start keeping up with the shows on TV. If I don't then I'll try to e-mail them back to my sister, but I probably won't be able to sense I'll be in Japan. Anyway:  
  
Beyondtheslence: Glad you liked it, you're my only reviewer this time so thanks a lot ^.^ Yeah, there will be a few mistakes here, too, I'm sure. As for the Anya/Alucard. to be mentioned later I'm sure. Not quite sure as to when. And the Buffy/Elisabeth talk. Yeah, that's coming, not next chapter but the one after I think. ::nodds:: sounds about right. Anyway, keep reading!  
  
Thanks for reading!  
  
~Rave 


	10. Chapter 10

During "Story Teller"  
  
Chapter 10  
  
"But the story needs to be told!" Andrew wined as Anya dragged him out of the bathroom. A girl ahead of me quickly ducked inside before someone else had the chance to steal her turn.  
  
"And birds need to fly and girls need to use the toilet and why were you videotaping yourself anyway? Sounds like kinky business to me," Anya said as she let go of him.  
  
Andrew held up his camera in defense. "The world is going to want to know about Buffy. It's a story of ultimate triumph tinged with bitterness for what has been lost in the struggle. It's a legacy for future generations," he explained enthusiastically.  
  
"If there are any," Anya retorted. "Buffy seamed to think that this apocalypse is going to actually be, you know, apocalyptic. I think your story seems pretty pointless."  
  
Andrew glanced down, disappointed, but he knew how to work Anya. "Oh, I was going to interview you later today. 'Cause, you know, your unique perspective on the hole thing. Give it editorial balance. . . and glamour."  
  
Anya suddenly looked at it in a new perspective. "Well, balance is important. People don't always take that into account. I could bring that to you. Absolutely." I rolled my eyes as she smiled and they both walked away.  
  
I heard the shower running and waited patiently for the girl to get out. It wouldn't take long. There wasn't much hot water left. I had gotten use to taking cold showers. When she got out I slipped in, and quickly got ready for the day. The line was only going to grow while I was in here, so I didn't keep anyone waiting. When I got out of the shower I quickly changed to jeans and a tank top and slipped out of the bathroom before heading down to breakfast.  
  
"It's morning in Sunnydale," Andrew was saying as I walked in.  
  
I walked past him to grab the cereal from Rona as she asked, "Who the hell's got the low-fat milk?"  
  
I smirked as Andrew had to start his introduction over. "It's morning in Sunnydale and the women of Command Central take the time to fortify themselves for the day ahead."  
  
"Hey!" Xander said.  
  
Andrew glanced at him and corrected himself. "Women and Xander," then to Xander, "Hey, I'm going to do your special intro later. The man who is the heart of the slayer machine."  
  
Xander looked up with a silly little happy grin. "Yeah? The heart?" Andrew really was working everyone pretty damn well. He was either really smart or just naturally talented at sucking up.  
  
And so he continued, "Things are tense in Command Central this morning. Buffy is clearly concerned with some unknown danger and the air is filled with foreboding-"  
  
"Oh, we're out of Raisin Bran," Dawn pointed out as I grabbed the milk from Rona. Low-fat, ugh. But it was all we had left.  
  
"I'll put it on the list," Anya said.  
  
Andrew glanced at them. "That's probably not the unknown danger."  
  
Buffy and Spike walked in, making the kitchen all the more crowded. Spike glanced around, disgusted. "Look at this place. Damn girls dorm's what it is," He lit a cigarette, drawing glares. Since when did he smoke? Funny, I should have noticed sooner.  
  
"That's nice. Second-hand sickness," Dawn muttered, stating my thoughts. I was human again, smoke bugged me.  
  
Andrew looked into his camera. "It's a full house. I think its a good time to do some introductions, don't you, gentle viewers?" The camera pointed in my general direction for a second, I was ready to grab for it if he tried catching me on film. Lucky for him it turned away.  
  
"I'm Amanda and I grew up right here-" Amanda started as the camera faced her.  
  
"Not you, sweetheart. Let's start from the top." He pointed the camera at Buffy, his eyes getting this distant look as if he was seeing something else. "You've already met Buffy. She's beautiful, with a lion's heart and the face of an angel. She's never afraid because she knows her side will always win." First response: What? Someone is lying to Andrew if he really believed that. Heck, he was probably lying to himself.  
  
Spike walked past Buffy, barely glancing at Andrew and it started him talking again, "Buffy and Spike have some kind of history. You can feel the heat between them although, technically as a vampire, he's room- temperature."  
  
Anya's turn to walk by, drawing his camera's attention. "Anya. A feisty waif with a fiery temper and a vulnerable heart that she hides even from herself. And this lovely girl," he pointed the camera at another girl, pausing for a second. "I don't remember her name."  
  
"Oh, for god's sake. Is he doing that again? Can't we make him stop?" Buffy finally asked, fed up with him.  
  
"I don't know. . . if we save the world, it will be kind of nice to have a record of it," Rona suggested.  
  
"And if we don't save the world, then. . . nothing matters," Amanda pointed out.  
  
"Hmm. . . that's catchy, Amanda. Let's make that our slogan," Kennedy said with high sarcasm.  
  
"Yeah, it is kind of strange how you keep saving the world and there's not any proof," Xander said, bringing thing back to our first topic.  
  
"Yeah, you know, for future generations," Anya agreed.  
  
Willow was nodding. "And it does help the girls with training, you know, viewing the tapes."  
  
"Come on, no one else thinks this is idiotic?" Buffy asked, I was about to agree with her, but Xander started talking.  
  
"Or is it important? I mean, Buff, I don't get why this is bothering you so much," he said.  
  
She looked around for someone to agree with her. "Because it's a waste of time. Come on, someone has to agree with me on this-" again I was about to speak, but- "Spike?"  
  
Spike shrugged. "Long as he's not pointing that thing at me, seems like a fine way to keep the boy busy."  
  
I stood up, "Don't worry Buffy, I agree with you, you have at least one person willing to destroy Andrew's new toy if you're not up to it." I stated happily. She actually looked relieved.  
  
"Thanks Beth," Buffy said, giving me a smile before turning back to the others. "Anyway, this is not about keeping busy. This is about war! I'm sorry to jump all over you guys but. . . I have to tell you what's really going on. There's something new. Amanda, Dawn, you're going to stay home from school today. We can survive what's coming but not like this. I had a vision of what's to come. A horrible vision. Hundreds upon hundreds of. . ." I started to tone her out, it was one of her long boring speech moments. Besides mentioning the vision, which actually was kind of interesting, she wasn't saying much.  
  
Hundreds upon hundreds of super vamps. That sounds just joyful. Plenty of fun for the whole family as we all get slaughtered by the never ending storm of evilness. Just another day in the life of a slayer, yeah, that was it.  
  
I waited for Buffy to stop, she had to go to work, then escaped the kitchen before Andrew could come back with the camera. I turned on the TV and flipped through the channels until I found some cartoon show to kill time with. Before I knew it a crowd of Potentials had gathered to watch TV. A lot of them had been trying to avoid me lately, but when I was in charge of the TV, they showed up. Then Andrew came in with the camera and I went upstairs.  
  
Kennedy caught me walking by. "Hey, Beth, wait up!" I paused to see what she wanted, not saying anything but giving her this blank stare. She ignored it, but was nice enough to get to the topic anyway. "I was wondering, you're a slayer, right? So maybe you could talk to Buffy. You should have some say," I wasn't sure about that but I didn't say anything, so she went on. "Well, I was thinking. Maybe some of us girls could go out, you know, just to have fun. Buffy wouldn't let us go alone, but if we had you, a Slayer, then she might say it was okay."  
  
Ah, so that's what she wanted. I wasn't sure what to say. "Well. That's interesting, but. . . I'm not going to bring it up with Buffy." I stated, not trying to be mean about it.  
  
"That's okay. You don't have to." Kennedy said, starting to look happy. That was scary, I wasn't trying to encourage her. That could be bad. She kept talking. "You know I'll bring it up. You just have to come with us. How bad could that be?"  
  
I wonder. "You know what. Do whatever. If you can convince Buffy to let us go, I'll be your baby-sitter." With that said I left. Kennedy was happy enough with me that she didn't even say something about the baby reference.  
  
Now to escape Kennedy. Back downstairs. Andrew wasn't in the living room, but I didn't really want to sit with the pile of girls. Who to talk to? Spike might still be awake, it was worth checking on. If nothing else I could exchange sarcastic comments for a few minutes, that'd kill time.  
  
I opened the door to the basement and heard talking.  
  
"I thought I told you to piss off with this bloody camera. And here you are again with that thing in my face. Sod off 'fore I rip your throat out and eat it-" Spike was saying. He was doing the whole bad boy act, tough walk, glaring face, I would have been impressed if it wasn't an act. He was so liking the camera action.  
  
"Spike, the light was kind of behind you," Andrew said, putting the camera down for a second so that Spike could readjust himself.  
  
"Oh, right," Spike said as he dropped the act and moved to his right, looking at Andrew for approval. "This better, then?" he asked. Andrew nodded and Spike went back to his intro. "I thought I told you to piss off with this bloody camera. And here you are again with that thing in my face. Sod off-"  
  
"Oh please," I muttered, making him pause again in his intro to look up at me, Andrew turned the camera with him, pointing it at my face. I glared at him long enough until he lowered the camera a little. Then I smiled sweetly. "Unlike our good vampire friend here, I really do want to break that camera, so don't go pointing it at me." Andrew looked hurt, but Spike just smirked. I turned to him. "What's so funny? You're acting just as stupid as he is."  
  
"Hey-" Andrew and Spike said together. It was my turn to smirk as I walked out the door.  
  
So much for that plan. Now I didn't know what to do. It had been a late night, and everyone had gone out to practice, so everyone was tired today. No chance of doing anything with them at the moment. Todd had stopped by yesterday to help take the girls out. He walked right inside without being asked. Ta da, not a vamp. That and the fact that the sun was shining at the time convinced Buffy. As a group we killed ten vampires. I counted. Buffy just kind of stood back and watched, letting the potentials do the work. They were getting better. Then Buffy sent us home and she stayed out to do some patrolling alone. I think Andrew followed her with his camera.  
  
Todd had walked us back and we talked. We didn't really have much to say, but it was nice, just talking. He wasn't worried that I was a Slayer, and the fact that I was slightly older then him wasn't bugging him either. Nice to have someone actually talk to me without seeing me as someone else.  
  
Come to think of it we had actually been up rather late, and I was tired. I yawned as I thought of it. Taking a nap didn't sound bad. It would kill some time if nothing else. Maybe Buffy would have something for us to do tonight, maybe not. Either way, it wouldn't hurt to actually be awake.  
  
I walked into a bedroom and realized what the best thing about sleeping during the day was. There were empty beds. I wouldn't have to use a sleeping bag. That was enough to make me smile.  
  
I took off my shoes and crawled into bed. It felt good to actually be in one. Closing my eyes I enjoyed the feeling as I waited to fall asleep.  
  
~  
  
At least I was human, I knew that. But that was all I knew.  
  
Memories flashed of what I looked like. They kept going from one person to the other, but both looked almost exactly alike. Both with Auburn hair, but one had natural black highlights while the other was more blonde. Both had yellow eyes, shining and intelligent, but the expressions, they weren't the same. The two felt like the same person, in a way, but more than that they felt different.  
  
How did my memories get here?  
  
*All memories are here.*  
  
All? As in everyone? Can we all see them?  
  
*No.*  
  
I frowned, or my mind did. Why not?  
  
*Only the Learians can enter the vault.*  
  
So I am a Learian? Yes, you said that. But only one of me is. How does that work?  
  
*You are human now, you were Learian then. Time is not important here. You once were Learian, and can always enter the vault.*  
  
That made no sense. Well, maybe a little sense. How am I here?  
  
*You come in your sleep. You don't know the other ways.*  
  
Did I?  
  
*Yes.*  
  
I can't remember them. It was true, there was no memory of it. Why not?  
  
*You can see your human memories, and the memories of while you were in human form. When you were truly Learian-no one can see those.*  
  
Why am I here?  
  
Silence.  
  
Why am I here?  
  
~  
  
I woke up with a snap, sitting up quickly. Something was wrong, it just felt off. Wait, no it didn't. Things were fine. Perfectly fine. What happened? I had been sleeping. . . oh. Another dream. That was it, nothing to worry about, I hoped. I still didn't remember anything. Could that be a bad sign? I'd give it a few more days before asking Buffy.  
  
Slowly I stretched as I sat up in bed. I paused in the middle of a yawn when I glanced out the window. It was getting dark out. I couldn't have slept that long. If it was really twilight then I would have had to have slept for almost five hours.  
  
Frowning, I climbed out of the bed and found my shoes before going downstairs. Everyone was gathered in the living room. Andrew was sitting in the middle of the couch, looking nervous. His camera was on the table in front of him. Buffy and Willow studied the computer.  
  
"What's going on?" I asked Amanda softly.  
  
She glanced up at me, "Oh, they did this memory thing with Andrew to try to find something about the hell mouth. Willow is researching a knife." I nodded, trying to get her to say more. I didn't really think they knew anything else, though, so it wasn't likely I'd get much information. "Where have you been, anyway?" Amanda wanted to know.  
  
I shrugged the question off. "Just taking a nap."  
  
Moving past Amanda I checked to see who else was in the room. The usual people mostly, Kennedy, Spike, Xander and Anya, a few other scattered Potentials, and Principle Wood, who I still didn't know much about.  
  
I had tried talking to him once, but he basically blew me off, barely giving me a second glance. He considered Buffy a Slayer, but me? I was just a little girl, no one important. Forget the fact that I was older than him, that didn't matter. In his head I was just another of the Potentials.  
  
No one really seemed up for talking, so I couldn't pick up any other information. I took a seat on the couch next to Andrew to wait for Buffy and Willow to finish. Every few minutes they'd murmur something to each other, but mostly Willow just searched.  
  
"I think it's got a shot," I heard Willow say as she glanced back at Buffy. Buff nodded and they both walked back to the living room.  
  
"Guess what, Andy?" Buffy said with a small half smile. "You just won yourself a free vacation to the beautiful downtown Hellmouth."  
  
"So he can do what? Yell at it in its own language?" Spike asked.  
  
Willow half-shrugged. "Maybe."  
  
"What? I'm not following," Wood said.  
  
I agreed with Wood, "Me either."  
  
Buffy glanced at the two of us, not wanting to waste much time explaining. "Look, we have to deal with the seal right away. We already might have to just shut the school down and I am not losing any more territory to The First, it's the only thing we've got."  
  
"The seal responds to the language somehow or The First wouldn't have needed the knife," Willow explained. "Andrew knows the language, can really talk to it, maybe give it commands." Hey, that actually made a little sense.  
  
"Come on. Robin, Spike, let's go," They left to do something, not go after the seal. Andrew was still in the living room. My guess was they were getting weapons.  
  
Kennedy and Andrew both walked into the kitchen, I followed, wanting a drink of water. Kennedy just leaned against the counter as Andrew started video taping her. "So what do you think about the seal thing?" Andrew asked.  
  
Kennedy started complaining almost instantly. It wasn't 'I'm worried something might happen to us.' It was a bunch of crap about Buffy not taking her with her. "So she says 'come on, let's go,' and I'm thinking great, I'm ready, I've been training. Turns out she's not taking me or my girls. Not even taking Willow or Beth. You know who she's taking? The men. And you, Andrew. All the girls get left behind. You wouldn't think Buffy would play it like that. She's not turning out like I thought she'd be." She paused for a beat. "What do you think Beth?" Suddenly both her and the camera were focusing on me.  
  
I blinked, glancing at them. "Mostly I think Andrew needs to lower that camera before I drown it in the sink." Andrew lowered the camera. "And I don't care who Buffy takes. Told ya, I'm not going to go talking to her about that kind of thing, she can run the show."  
  
"Andrew? Where are you? Let's go!" Buffy called.  
  
"Guess you'd better go. M'lady's calling you," Kennedy said, considering my comment. Then suddenly she jumped up, too, running towards Buffy's voice with a look I didn't particularly like plastered on her face. I stared after her, drinking my water, hoping I had said anything to give her an idea.  
  
Best to make sure, so I put down the water and followed after her. She was standing at the front door, arguing with Buffy.  
  
"Come on, the girls could use a break, and besides, we'd have a Slayer with us," Kennedy was insisting. I already didn't like the way this was sounding.  
  
I think Buffy would have said no to whatever Kennedy was asking, but she was in a hurry to leave, and Kennedy wasn't going to give up anytime soon. Spike and Wood were already waiting outside as Andrew videotaped the conversation. To the point though: Buffy wasn't going to fight right now. "Fine, go. Don't be gone too long and Willow's going with you. If anything happens, and I mean anything, come strait back." Buffy glanced at me for a second before turning back to Kennedy. "You're not in charge. You obey everything she says," she was pointing at me.  
  
"What?" I yelled as Buffy walked out the door. Obey me? Was she kidding? Then again, I understood where she was coming from. If they took their orders from Kennedy they'd probably end up fighting a battle they couldn't win. But what had I just gotten into?  
  
Kennedy was smiling. That wasn't a good thing.  
  
The other girls started wondering towards us. "What's going on?" One of them asked.  
  
Kennedy walked over and draped an arm across my shoulders. "Beth here is going to take us out tonight. We're going dancing!"  
  
I froze. Dancing?  
  
Willow walked in just in time to hear that. She looked confused, but maybe she would do something to get me out of this. "What do you mean? Buffy would never allow you to go out like that."  
  
Kennedy was grinning. "But she did. Just now, right before she left. I asked if we could go out to a club, just to relax for a change. She said it was all right as long as you and Beth came. Beth already said she would if I got Buffy to agree." I did say that, didn't I? Damn. Well, maybe Willow wouldn't agree to it.  
  
No luck there, Willow was smiling. She was looking at Kennedy in that happy sort of girl friend way. I just helped them go out on a date. Yippee. Now I wasn't just a baby-sitter, I was a chaperon. Not to mention I'd have to make sure no vampires sneaked on any of the girls. Shit. This wouldn't be good.  
  
"That sounds great!" Dawn said, standing on the stairs. "I do get to come, too, right?"  
  
I nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, sure. But someone has to stay and watch the house." I took a moment to get my thoughts in order. "Okay, Dawn, you go tell Xander and Anya they have housekeeping duty. Amanda, you go see who wants to go out. If the girl can't understand English she's not coming. Sorry, but I need to be able to keep tabs on all of you," no one here had a problem. I glanced at my watch. It was about seven-thirty. "Okay, we leave in half an hour. That should be enough time for you guys to get ready."  
  
The girls were already leaving. I didn't even ask which club we were going to. Or how we were getting there. We were fresh out of cars so we'd probably end up walking. Willow would know the faster ways there, though. She knew the town pretty well, and it wasn't big so the walk wouldn't be bad.  
  
All the girls had gone off to get dressed, and I decided it wouldn't hurt for me to change clothes, too, but I wasn't going to go all out like they were. I didn't have any clothes for partying, then again neither did most the girls. Willow's and Dawn's wardrobes were being raided, but no one was taking anything from Buffy's. I hope she didn't mind if I did. I'd say sorry and offer to pay for anything if it got ruined.  
  
Lucky for me Buffy and I were about the same size. I chose out a pair of dark blue jeans that hung loosely from my hips. It had to be too big for Buffy, but I like pants baggy. I turned away from all her shoes. She might be able to fight in heals, but I wasn't used to it and I wanted to be able to get us out of trouble. Next came finding a top, and she had a lot to chose from. I turned away from anything pink, orange or white, along with all pastels. Finally I settled on a tight forest green shirt that stopped right above my belly button. I threw my hair into a quick bun and found some chopsticks from dawn to hold it in place before going back downstairs.  
  
It took me ten minutes to get ready. It was more than forty-five minutes after I came down stairs that the others joined me. I was greeted by girls wearing all colors of make up and clothes who looked like they were out to party. Quickly I counted them. Ten girls altogether, including Willow.  
  
"Okay, settle down," their excited chatter hushed. "Just have a couple of rules. We're going with the buddy system. I know it sounds corny, but I don't want any of you alone. If you're separated from your buddy, go find someone else and stay with them. If you find someone else alone, pinch her. Just a little incentive to stay together while making sure you're not the first," there were a few small smiles. "Last, but not least. Don't leave with anyone. I mean that. No going outside, no going to small rooms. I want you where I can find you." I said this with complete seriousness, and I was pretty sure they understood. If they didn't, next time they'd stay home. If there was a next time. "Questions? No? Good. Where are we going?" This I asked to Willow.  
  
She smiled at me, cheerfully. "I was thinking the Bronze. There's a balcony thing above the dance floor you should be able to watch everyone on if you need to, plus they normally have good music."  
  
I nodded. "Fine. That works. Follow Willow." And we did. The girls grouped up with their buddies, and I checked to see who was with who as we walked down the street. As expected the trip didn't take long. The girls probably wouldn't have cared if it took an hour, nor would they have noticed. They were all talking in excited voices, going over everything they planed on doing at the club.  
  
The Bronze used to be a warehouse. You see that from the outside. The sign was the only thing showing that it was a club, that and the groups of young people who showed up every few minutes and went inside.  
  
Inside had tables, a place to buy drinks, a stage where tonight there was a DJ instead of an actual band. The dance floor was already crowded, as were the pool tables off in a corner. The other, darker corners, were occupied with couples who were starting to pair off.  
  
I glanced at my watch. 9 o'clock. If I said we left in an hour the girls might all meet back here by eleven. I told them to be here at ten and the girls branched off, staying with the buddy system just like I said to.  
  
Taking Willows advice I walked up the stairs onto the higher platform. It was mostly empty at the moment, and it was true that I could see most of the club. Willow saw me looking around and waved. I waved back.  
  
The first half hour went by quickly. The music was good, a variety of local bands and hit singles, along with a few other tracks that weren't singles, but were still good. He probably wasn't supposed to be playing them, but no on really cared.  
  
The girls were having fun. Most were flirting or dancing. A couple even played pool. I hadn't noticed any vamps hitting on them so we were doing good. As long as the Potentials didn't get killed the night might be considered a success.  
  
It didn't occur to me that I might be the one in danger. Or at least not until I felt a tap on my should and turned to face Zeke, just grinning at me like he normally would.  
  
He was dressed for a night out, too. He wore his normal cargo pants along with a royal blue tank top covered by one of the nicer button up anime shirts. I didn't recognize the show. Something with girls holding fire and twirling around in magic. Honestly though, that left a lot of options. But the shirt was still cool. I liked it more than the expensive sunglasses that completed the outfit.  
  
"Liz, long time no see," Zeke said as he took off his sunglasses, revealing a new piercing in his eyebrow. It added to the punk/rock look he had going, and normally I would have commented on it, but I wasn't sure of what to say. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" He was joking, and seemed sincere about it. I merely stood confused. Zeke shrugged, taking a step back to lean against a rail.  
  
Suddenly I got my voice back. "What're you doing here?"  
  
He grinned. "Out for dinner. Heard this was a nice enough place." I just stared at him, so he went on. "Did you mean in Sunnydale? Boss wanted me to take care of some business."  
  
That brought up a topic. "Business?" I asked.  
  
"Not about you-in a way." Zeke said casually. "Got a problem with someone who's supposed to be helping us."  
  
"Who'd that be?" I didn't really expect him to answer.  
  
He did anyway. "The witch you met at the house."  
  
Oh. Her, um, I mean it. "You mean The First," I stated.  
  
Zeke looked at me, obviously pleased about something. "It's nice talking to someone who picks up on things. Even if you're a little tongue tied from time to time." So I was right. I had actually been guessing, but being right was good. The whole thing about the witch not really touching the door. . . that was nicely set up by the vampires, but I saw it.  
  
I nodded to Zeke, understanding his comment, but still watching him like a hawk. While he was acting like this was just a friendly visit I couldn't help feeling like something was going on. "So how'd you pull the trap off?" I asked, merely searching for another topic.  
  
Zeke kept his smile, but it didn't seem like he meant it anymore. As if something I said had disappointed him. Must have asked the wrong question. But he kept talking anyway. "Tricked one of the witches, got her to help us, then killed them all. Quite simple.  
  
"And the first?" I asked.  
  
He shrugged. "It wanted you dead, helped us set things up. Things were going just peachy until we found out that it was actually planning to kill you. That we couldn't have so we drew back the vampires." Ah, so that's what had happened. While I'm sure there was more to it, that was a start. Other than that he hadn't given any information away, and what he had said probably wasn't important. He wouldn't slip up like that. "My turn to ask questions," He said. "How far are you in translating that book?"  
  
I blinked. He had to be talking about the book Alucard gave me. I'd been looking it over, but it made little sense. Chris came over a few times and had made a little progress, but we weren't getting anywhere. "Barely started, why?"  
  
Zeke shrugged. "It's the closest thing to an original copy. Only thing that Boss hasn't tampered with. Not to mention it's the original language, that's a plus. You don't have to worry about earlier mistakes."  
  
He seamed to know a lot about it. "Why're you asking?"  
  
Again he shrugged. "Just curious." He paused for a moment. "I'm beginning to see why Alucard doesn't like the guy. Of course, he has personal grudges, but Boss is pretty damn aggravating."  
  
Zeke wasn't that good of an actor so there was no doubt in my mind that he was telling the truth. There had been venom in his voice when he talked about the Boss. But at the same time there was respect.  
  
"Why do you stay with him?" I asked. I wasn't trying to be all noble, I was just curious. Zeke wasn't sure my reasons for asking at first, so I just stared at him, letting him figure it out for himself. He could read me better than anyone, so I was positive he'd figure out what I was asking.  
  
"He's got power. He could crush me, and he would if he thought I was a threat. I'm surprised Alucard lived as long as he did. Boss knew he was deadly. But he won't make the same mistake twice. He watches me oh so carefully now." As he said that Zeke glanced down at the floor below, I glanced with him before remembering I was supposed to keep an eye on me. Zeke smirked as he saw me catch myself, but that was all he did.  
  
To save myself from embarrassment I changed the topic. "You said that Alucard 'lived', as in he isn't alive anymore?" I asked.  
  
Zeke paused. "Oh, no, he's alive, or as alive as any vampire," he confirmed. Well, at least I knew where he was to some extent. The Boss had him again. I glanced a way from Zeke for a moment, knowing fully the risk, and when I turned back to him I saw him staring at me as if he was trying to see what was under my skin, what I was thinking.. "Why'd you want to know?"  
  
"Curious," I answered simply, but he didn't stop staring.  
  
We stood in silence for a moment as the music bellowed around us. I wanted to relax, but I wouldn't dare. Zeke was still staring at me and I knew he didn't have to prepare to attack. He would didn't give any warning. He just moved. So I kept my eye on him and we both stood and stared.  
  
"So, how do you feel about the apocalypse?" I asked at last, not knowing of a better topic and finding this one to be something we could relate to. Oh yes, the apocalypse, something we were both fighting on opposite ends of. I wonder who would win.  
  
Zeke's blank stare cracked as he chuckled. "The apocalypse? Well, if it comes then I'll probably not live through it. Boss won't need me anymore and all that. Then again, I hear those ubber vamps are kind of nasty. He might want someone to watch his back."  
  
I grinned. "Yes, and how things are going back at command central, I might get to hold a stake and stand in the background."  
  
"Why's that? You're a Slayer," Zeke stated.  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not Buffy, I'm the other Slayer."  
  
Zeke had stopped laughing. "Can't be that bad. Not with the help they're going to need. Buffy should be happy to have you there."  
  
I nodded, agreeing with him. "It's not bad, it's just," I stopped as I tried to think of a way to explain. "They know I'm a Slayer, they know my story, they accept that, but I'm not a part of their lives. I'm just another Potential. Spike's the only one who treats me like I'm in their special clique, but while we might consider each other friends. . . we're really not."  
  
There was another stretch of silence. "Yeah, heard Spike was your brother," Zeke said at last. "That's got to be weird. A Slayer having a brother who spent a hundred years terrorizing Europe."  
  
I nodded. "It's 'bout as weird as a Slayer who's best friend's a vampire who happens to work for her arch nemesis."  
  
Zeke nodded. "Life sucks that way."  
  
Right then I let myself relax. It was true, we might be fighting but I still considered him a friend. I wasn't going to act all wacky just because he might kill me. Wait, he wasn't going to kill me. No, that was the Boss's job. Besides, he could kick my butt any time he wanted to. It was an understood statement that neither of us brought up.  
  
"So, how's life with them?" Zeke asked, motioning to the girls below us.  
  
I shrugged. "Kind of dull. I have to stand in line to use the shower."  
  
He choked back laughter. "Really? That's gotta suck."  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, a little. And this morning I actually had to use non- fat milk. The good stuff was gone."  
  
This time he did laugh. "Sometimes it's good to be a vampire," he murmured.  
  
Shrugging I answered, "Maybe, but being human's kind of nice."  
  
"You had the best of both worlds for a while there," Zeke stated.  
  
"Then Buffy went and died again. I know the story," I said as I stared down at the girls. They had no clue something was going on up here. If any of them even bothered to glance up they probably wouldn't think twice of the strange man standing near by me.  
  
Zeke moved to stand next to me. "Sorry to say, I have to add on to the story."  
  
"How's that?"  
  
"I've got orders that if I see you I have to bring you back with me."  
  
"Figured it was something like that."  
  
Zeke was watching the floor very carefully, his eyes picking out different people, sending signals. "I noticed you came with ten girls. I could have them all killed before you get down the stairs." His voice was blank, emotionless, all business.  
  
I believed him.  
  
"And how do I stop that?"  
  
"Come back with me. That simple. They never need to be involved, you're just suddenly gone and they won't know why. Maybe we'll leave them a note in the morning," Zeke said.  
  
I just stared for a moment. I couldn't say no but. . . If I went with him I was screwed. Wouldn't it be worse if I came back as a vampire and fought against the scoobies? If by some twist of fate the prophecy would come true and I would kill all these vampires, wouldn't it be worth the lives a few girls?  
  
But I couldn't let them die. Watching them having fun, seeing them below me. They were young, and they were happy. I couldn't let him kill them. As stubborn as I was I knew that if I let them die I would never forgive myself. I might be forced to go with him anyway, so why not just give in?  
  
I should have told Zeke that the moment he suggested it because I could see now that my temporary silence was taken as a no. Two men were moving through the dance floor towards Dawn and Amanda. I knew what they were, what they were doing. They were stalking them, and I wouldn't be able to get to them in time.  
  
"Call them back," I asked, sparing a quick glance to Zeke.  
  
"I can't."  
  
"I'll go with you, just call them back."  
  
He shook his head. "I would, but I can't."  
  
I looked around frantically. "I can't get there in time!"  
  
"I know."  
  
For a moment fear slipped through me, seizing my body. I couldn't move, couldn't think, then it faded, and I knew what to do. Without even thinking I grabbed the rail and leaped over it. The landing was hard, too hard. I had fallen from higher before, but for some reason my leg almost gave out, as if I had hurt it earlier. I didn't remember hurting it.  
  
Oh wait, at the house. . . my knee. . . If that slowed me down too much I was going to be pissed. It had been about a week, I should have healed by now. But I guess tendons and ligaments took time. For a normal human it could take weeks to heal, I should be happy that it wasn't as bad for me, but I still started out at a limp.  
  
By the time I reached Dawn the vampire was right behind her, but my limp was gone, so I was doing fine. The vampire didn't see me coming, so I started out with the upper hand. I grabbed his shoulder, turning him around to face me, but mostly pulling him away from Dawn. The vampire looked at me, surprised. I hit him before he had a chance to react.  
  
I glanced at Dawn and Amanda, both were looking at me in shock. Neither of them noticed the other vampire behind them. With a sigh I hit the first vampire again, knocking him to the floor as I pushed past the two girls to grab the other one.  
  
He saw me coming and swung at me. I ducked, grabbed his arm and pulled him off balance. He fell onto my good knee which I thrust into his chest. The vampire dropped to the ground and I turned to the other one that was getting back up.  
  
Dawn and Amanda had backed up out of the way, becoming lost in a crowd of onlookers. The vampires were still in human face, so I wasn't too worried about them making a scene. We didn't want to draw everyone's attention. The fight had attracted the guy behind a counter's attention. He left his work station and half jogged over before the fight started back up.  
  
"Hey, no fighting in here, take it outside," He yelled at us.  
  
I smiled and nodded, glancing up at the balcony. Zeke was staring down, once again wearing his sunglasses. I nodded towards the door and he nodded back. "Yeah, I'll meet them outside," I said, knowing Zeke would hear me. He'd be out in a bit to meet me, too. The vampires were his, so I wouldn't kill them unless they attacked again. I was betting they'd attack, though.  
  
Before heading out I looked for Dawn in the crowd. "Stay inside," I told her. "If I don't come back in soon, don't worry, get everyone at home by eleven, I'll meet up with you later."  
  
"Wait! Where are you going?" Dawn asked, following after me as I walked past the fallen vampires and towards the door.  
  
I glanced at her. "Stay with your buddy, that rule still applies. Don't worry about me," I said, not looking at her again. Then I was outside, and Dawn stayed in. I was going on trust that Zeke wouldn't have the girls killed. He said he wouldn't, and I believed him, but I could be wrong.  
  
~  
  
Hello all! What do you think? I had to have a bronze scene, and I couldn't think of how to fit it in, then I was watching a rerun and I figured it out. So I'm happy now. Chapter 11 is on its way to being done. I should have it out by Monday. (Sorry, it takes a bit of time to edit them, and we all know I'm not good at it). What else. . . can't think of anything, so on with the thank yous.  
  
Beyond the silence: Sorry about any confusion, I'm trying to take care of that. The leg thing comes in later. . . um, I think it's chapter 12 (which should be on soon). And yes, I will explain the Alucard/Spike thing. Thanks again for the review!  
  
Gidgetgirl: Thanks for trying to review, I know ff.net can be screwy, happens all the time. I'm glad you like the actions scenes because I keep thinking I'm messing them up, but I reread this chapter a few times and it seems okay to me. As for people reading the story, it's about the same as normal for me, and I'm getting more than one review per chapter so I'm happy. Thanks for the review! Hope you liked the chapter.  
  
Aussie: Hello! Nice to see new people. You didn't say much so I'll just say thanks! Hope you keep reading.  
  
~Rave 


	11. Chapter 11

Right after last chapter, still during the "Storyteller episode."  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Slowly I started walking out of the alley. The cool air felt nice compared to the heat of the club. It was quiet here, which made it easy to hear the vampires come out and stalk towards me, as if they were supposed to be tough and frightening.  
  
I wasn't facing them, but just from listening I knew where they were. I continued walking slowly, letting them catch up to me. One of them reached out to grab me, I hesitated mid step for just a second, getting him to move faster. I waited until his hand was on my shoulder before I grabbed it, pulling him up and over me, then letting go so he could fall onto the ground. I grabbed a random piece of wood that had been dropped on the ground and staked the guy. It was too simple, Amanda probably could have taken him if she knew he was coming.  
  
I stood up slowly, turning to the other vamp as I brushed my hair out of my face. "If you really want to fight we can go for it, but I'm really not interested in you, so you can still leave." The vampire hesitated a moment, his eyes going from the stake to me, then back to the stake.  
  
He ran.  
  
Smirking I threw the stake back down. There was plenty of wood littering the place that if I needed another it would be easy to find.  
  
Right on time Zeke walked out of the club. He didn't even glance at the running vampire, his attention was focused on me.  
  
"This was easier then I thought it would be," He stated. "I see you walk in with a bunch of girls, unexpected. Then I barely threaten them and you decide to come with me. Must be my lucky day."  
  
I shrugged. "Perhaps. Then again something might happen to turn the tides, who knows?"  
  
Zeke just smiled, nodding his head in the direction we were going. "Come on, Boss is going to want to know about this."  
  
I followed him, easily catching up. "So, is he in Sunnydale, too?" I asked, this time I was looking for information.  
  
Zeke spared me a quick glance before answering. "Not yet, but I don't have a phone on me." He seamed almost eager as we walked along. I hadn't known he would be so happy about catching me. At least someone was having a good time in all of this.  
  
Thoughts of the girls partying came to me head. I glanced back at the club, wondering if they would be okay. Had Zeke ordered them all killed? If he did, could they fight the vampires that would attack? Kennedy thought the girls were ready. Maybe she'd have to test that theory.  
  
"Don't worry," Zeke said, noticing me looking. "None of Boss's vamps will hurt them tonight." I turned back to where we were going, not as sure as he was.  
  
None of the Boss's vamps. That wasn't saying much. Sure, he had a lot working for him, but Sunnydale had a lot period. The girls weren't safe, but there was nothing I could do about it. Not now at least.  
  
Boy Buffy was going to kill me when I got back. The thought made me smile. Chances are I wouldn't be back, and even if I was, I'd be dead.  
  
Of course, she would still kill me. But the thought was still funny, too.  
  
"What?" Zeke asked.  
  
I shook my head. "Nothing, nothing at all."  
  
He continued to look at me for a few more seconds. "You're a horrible liar."  
  
"Nah, I'm actually getting quite good at it," I stated happily.  
  
He shrugged. "If you say so. Actually, now that I think about it you've always been kind of good," he said as if just remembering.  
  
"I wasn't bad," I agreed.  
  
He smirked at me. "You say it like it's some great skill."  
  
I grinned. "Bull shitting people will get you everywhere. How do you think I got through high school?"  
  
He laughed at that, shaking his head. "Don't have a clue. I know you didn't do any homework, that's for sure. What'd you do, suck up to teachers?"  
  
Shaking my head I gave him a 'yeah right' glance. "Hell no. I'm all for the not sucking up thing. I just didn't have a clue what I was talking about most of the time, but managed to act as if I knew everything there was to know. Beside, I'm a good guesser."  
  
He grinned. "I'm a better one."  
  
"Maybe," I said with a shrug. That was one topic that wasn't worth fighting over.  
  
We settled into a silence, but it was a comfortable one. None of that feeling too uncomfortable to talk stuff going on, we just didn't feel like saying much. If we actually did start talking there was a risk that we might have to be serious and remember our friendly squabbling was actually because of something not so friendly. For the time being I liked the illusion.  
  
Soon we entered the nicer part of town. You know the place with all the big houses where the really rich people live? We stopped in front of one of the bigger house and Zeke pressed a buzzer on the gate that kept us out. I took a good look at the house. It was almost a mansion. I hadn't known that Sunnydale had places this nice.  
  
A camera on the gate swiveled around to face us. We stared up at it, or at least I did. I wasn't sure where Zeke was looking, he had the glasses after all. Personally I thought that was cheating, but hey, who said we had to play fair?  
  
Back to the point: The gate opened and we went inside.  
  
For a moment I got a bad feeling. One of those saying that I was walking into something that I couldn't get out of. This was way over my head and I should keep it that way. I should turn and leave, I could probably get away. I didn't even know if Zeke would chase me. He might, but he might not. Either way, it wouldn't work. If I got away then he'd kill the girls. If I didn't, he'd know I was scared. And that was the honest truth, I hadn't let myself think about it until now, but I was terrified. We weren't friends, we couldn't afford to be. I was here to die, and he was delivering me to the executioner.  
  
I had to pause for a moment to swallow that feeling. It wouldn't help. Zeke glanced back at me, as if to ask what was wrong. I shook my head and kept going. Tough as nails vampire slayer, that was me. I would stand up to the bad guys, exchange comments, be a smart ass. I had to. If they actually tried to kill me. I'd deal with it then.  
  
Zeke led me across the driveway. It was a long one, ending nicely right in front of the house before curving back the other way so that the cars could leave. Zeke ignored the big doors in the front and took me around the side of the house to a smaller, less noticeable door. Another camera watched us walk in.  
  
We entered a hallway, which was at the moment empty. He led me through the hallways. It was like a maze, but he never hesitated. While I was getting lost he knew exactly where we were. I suppose he meant it to be that way. No chance of me getting out if I didn't even know what part of the house we were in. We'd gone down several flights of stairs and I was fairly certain that we were a ways underground.  
  
Finally we entered a room, leaving the maze behind. It was a bedroom of sorts, though if you ignored the bed it could also have been a living room or office. There were couches, a TV, a computer, several shelves of books. . . It was a large room. There was one thing I didn't like in here. A vampire.  
  
She was lying on one of the couches, and if I hadn't known better I would have thought she was asleep. She was newly dead though, and still had a sense of aliveness about her. It would fade, but at the moment it was there. It told me she was awake, listening, waiting, trying to see what we would do.  
  
I took a moment to study her. She was where I black robe, it looked fuzzy and soft, probably very comfortable. Her hair had been dyed black and was long and strait, her skin a pale white. She was trying to hard to be the classic vampire, and it showed, but she was still beautiful, in an undead sort of way. It would have been better if she didn't have to try.  
  
"Who's the new girl?" I asked, half way to teasing Zeke.  
  
He just grinned at me, not saying anything. He never was one to talk about his love life, probably because love wasn't involved. A lot of lust, but never love. This girl would be gone in a week, and she was probably so full of herself that she didn't even realize it.  
  
"Make yourself at home," He said. "Don't want you leaving this room. You might get into trouble."  
  
I smirked. "Who me? Never."  
  
"Uh-huh. Right," he muttered. "Just don't do anything stupid, and I mean it when I say stay in here." He said that last thing firmly.  
  
Nodding I took a few steps in to get a better look around. I picked up on a few things that Zeke liked, including the computer which I recognized as his. "This is your room, right?"  
  
"Yep, you get a couch to sleep on, sorry."  
  
I shrugged. "No problem, just curious." Again a glanced at the girl. "Tell her to get up, would ya? She's starting to get annoying."  
  
Zeke chuckled. "She's not doing anything, how can she be annoying?"  
  
"Because she's not doing anything." I said it like it should explain everything. Zeke just shook his head, but I got the feeling he understood to some extent. That was better then nothing. Regardless of whether or not he did, he still walked over to the girl.  
  
"Hey, Vicky, get up," I wouldn't go so far as to say he sounded like he cared for her, he didn't, but there was some sort of affection in his voice. Maybe he liked her more then most of the girls he slept with. Maybe she was just good in bed.  
  
In any case Vicky sat up. She opened hazel eyes to stare at me. Actually it was more of a glare. There was something very territorial about it. I couldn't help but laugh, I think she thought I was laughing at her. Her eyes narrowed, definitely a glare.  
  
"Who's she?" she asked. Her voice actually sounded sweet, she was staring daggers at me, but when talking to Zeke she managed to sound nice. I almost laughed again.  
  
Zeke ignored the tension coming from Vicky, instead he just answered her question. "This is my friend Liz. Don't hurt her." It wasn't a request, it was an order. Vicky just nodded. He turned to me. "Liz, this is Veronica. She's going to be in her a lot."  
  
I shrugged. I didn't care. She could be here whenever she wanted as long as she didn't try to do anything annoying, like talking to me. Yeah, that was definitely out of the question. I could just imagine the conversations. She seamed like the type of person who'd ask a lot of stupid questions.  
  
"Why is she here?" Vicky wined, pouting at Zeke. Definitely not someone I wanted to talk to.  
  
Zeke was being patient with her. "Because if I put her anywhere else she'll get killed, and I really don't want that. Don't worry, she won't get in the way." Get in the way of what? I didn't think I wanted to know, and I knew Zeke wouldn't answer if I asked. Anything that would go on between the two of them would happen elsewhere. I knew that so I didn't feel the need to start up a conversation about it.  
  
Vicky was still pouting, but Zeke had gotten back up and walked back over to me. "I need to go for a few minutes and make a phone call, don't do anything stupid," he glanced at Vicky, "either of you." Then he left.  
  
Instantly Veronica's appearance changed. She was no longer a sweet little girl, but instead a pissed off vampire who really wanted to tear my head off. She was even close to looking scary, but just not quite.  
  
She thought I was going after her man. I wanted to laugh again, but didn't bother. She'd probably attack, and then I'd have to fight her, and Zeke would want to know what happened. If I killed her I don't think he would have bought the self defense story, even if it was true. So instead I looked bored, giving her a look that clearly said I wasn't interested in anything she had to say.  
  
She didn't care what I was interested in. "So you're Zeke's new 'friend'?" she said friend as if it was a bad thing.  
  
I shook my head. "No, to both meanings. I've known Zeke longer than you've been alive, and we've never slept together. So don't worry, he's all yours." Why do they never believe it when I tell them that?  
  
Vicky stood at her full height, close to 5'9", as she tried to look intimidating. She stalked towards me, taking long strides until she was only a foot away. I wanted her to back up, she was in my space, but she wouldn't, and neither would I. That would show I was afraid of her, and I wasn't.  
  
"I don't believe you," She growled into my face, her breath smelt faintly of blood.  
  
My nose wrinkled. "That's fine. Get a breath mint and stay out of my face." With that I pushed past her, actually shoving her aside. See, not scared, I touched her and everything. I didn't have to look back to know she was surprised.  
  
Vicky reached for me, gripping my shoulder hard. If I hadn't been a Slayer she might actually be doing damage. She intended to, so she didn't really know who I was. Shrugging her off I pulled away as if she was just another human, I heard her gasp in surprise but ignored it as I walked to the computer.  
  
Turning the screen on I checked to see if it was hooked up online. It was, but you needed a password to do anything. As a matter of fact you needed a password to do almost everything. Sighing I gave up trying to get into programs and sat back in the chair, twirling it around so that I could face the room.  
  
Standing to the side was Vicky. She was glaring at me and looking all offended, as if people weren't supposed to ignore her. I considered skimming the book shelves, but there probably wasn't anything I felt like reading right now. Zeke wouldn't have left anything important anyway.  
  
"You're that Slayer chick Zeke keeps talking about, aren't you?" Vicky asked, and for the first time she didn't sound like she was trying to insult me.  
  
I faced her, not sure if it was the fact that she was making an effort not to be a bitch or if I was just bored. Either way, I was actually going to talk to her. Scary thought, that one.  
  
With a nod I answered. "Yeah, I'd imagine so."  
  
Her eyes narrowed again. "What does that mean?"  
  
"It means that I haven't been the one talking to him for the last few months and there happens to be three Slayers at the moment. While it's most likely he's been talking about me, it could be otherwise," I explained, talking as if she was a kindergartener. She was looking mad again, maybe I should stop.  
  
"Elisabeth, right?" she asked. I nodded. "I hear you two were real close." Back to the territorial thing.  
  
"Yeah, real close, I talked to him and everything." She didn't appreciate my sarcasm, but I had already told her that nothing was going on. It was her choice to believe me or not.  
  
Again she walked up to me, staring down at me now sense I was sitting. I looked up at her, not bothering to stand. "It would be so easy to-" Someone opened the door and she stopped. I smirked at her. I knew of several things that she might have said.  
  
Now I did get to my feet, this time to see who had showed up. Zeke walked back in, he glanced at the two of us for a second. I didn't have to glance back to know Vicky was looking sweet again.  
  
Zeke's eyes stayed on Vicky. He wasn't looking happy. Something was bothering him. "Get out," Zeke said simply. Another order.  
  
Vicky walked past me, glancing at me with a shrug as if she had to explain something to me. Smiling she paused for half a second, right in front of Zeke, then she kept walking until she was out of the room.  
  
"Well, don't you have her wrapped around your finger," I said.  
  
Nodding he answered. "It helps." There was a tone to his voice saying he wasn't in the mood for joking or goofing off. That was fine, I could get to the point.  
  
"I need to use your computer."  
  
There was no surprise in his expression. "Why?"  
  
"I don't want Buffy or Spike to come looking for me. I need to send out a message."  
  
He nodded. "Fine, who to?"  
  
I thought for a moment. I knew Willow's e-mail, but I wanted someone to cover for me, some way to keep the charade going. Who did I know who wouldn't ask questions? No one. But if they couldn't get a hold of me then it didn't matter. With that in mind I decided.  
  
"My watchers, I know Todd's e-mail."  
  
He nodded. "Give me a second." He sat down at the computer and got me through the necessary passwords to move around freely online. Then got up and motioned me towards. "It's all you."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
He looked over my shoulder as I went to yahoo and typed in my screen name and password. The e-mail was simple and short. It said that I was going to be gone awhile, that it had to do with Alucard but I would be fine. Just in case, though, if they see me make sure I'm not the first and don't invite me into any houses. I asked him to cover for me with Buffy and the scoobies, then I hit the send button. Message sent, I was now safely stuck with the vampires. How very comforting.  
  
Once again I swirled in the chair to face the room. "So what's the news?" I wondered.  
  
With a sigh he sat back. "Nothing good," he started. "Can you believe it? Boss doesn't trust you. He's worried about you killing all of us and running away. I assured him you wouldn't do that, but hey, he is after all the boss." I nodded, wanting him to continue, he seemed to want me to say something, but he didn't want to wait. So he kept talking. "To get to the point. He wants you locked up. I believe his exact words were 'put her in the vault,' or something like that."  
  
My head felt as if something grabbed it then pulled, really, really hard. There was a jolt, but only a mental one. It actually felt strange that I wasn't moving while my head was in such an upheaval.  
  
The vault. Where had I heard that? The strangest feeling came over me. It was so familiar yet it wasn't part of this world, this life.  
  
What the hell did that mean? Words were coming to my head and it didn't make sense. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was everything. I didn't know, nor did I care. Zeke had been talking about locking me up. That was important, what they called the place wasn't. Besides, there wasn't anything in common between the two, other than the name. Of that I was sure.  
  
By some twist of fate my head came back to me. I don't think the whole thing took more than three seconds. Zeke hadn't noticed, and I suppose he was waiting for me to say something again.  
  
"The vault? Doesn't sound too pleasant," I said while standing up.  
  
Zeke shrugged. "Most people don't like it. But you're not going to be tortured so it shouldn't be too bad." He said it like it was perfectly normal to torture people. As a matter of fact, it seemed as if it was awkward that I was going there and wouldn't be tortured. I'd be the odd one out. In this case I was happy about it.  
  
Both of us left the room without saying much else. We were kind of out of things to say. I was going to some place called the vault where they normally tortured people. He couldn't get me out of it. Everything was quite simple. Riight.  
  
And if it was at all possible he led me down more stairs. How deep could this place go? Apparently very deep. We had to be down at least six floors already, and every one further down seemed to take a leap back in time. We went from the age of light blubs to torches. I even caught sight a few vampires in armor. Actual armor.  
  
That struck me as odd, but I didn't mention it. Why should I criticize a vampire's style? I'm sure they had a perfectly good reason for what they wore. Maybe it was a costume party and I hadn't gotten the memo. Unlikely, but possible, everything was possible when it came to vampires.  
  
This point has been constantly proven, right now being an example. I had just walked into a dungeon. Bricks and all, it looked, felt and smelt old, musty, damp and had the soft sent of blood beneath it all. My guess was it had been here for a couple hundred years. How that was I didn't want to know, but this was the real deal, and I was wondering how I fit into the picture.  
  
And of course, Zeke was there to show me. He escorted me to one of the cells right in the middle of the room. The door opened to what was thankfully a somewhat modern and comfortable room. While I could see that it had once been another cell, probably identical to the rest, they had updated sense then.  
  
Now I had a bed, twin size and it even had sheets and a blanket. I realized now how that was a good thing, it was cold in here. There was also a toilet in the back along with toilet paper. A dungeon with plumbing, who'd have thought?  
  
Following me inside Zeke examined it. "Not the best place to stay, but it beat the other cells. I'll bring you a few books later so that you have something to do. I don't know how long you'll be here, probably around a week."  
  
I turned back to him. "A week? Little long don't you think?"  
  
"Sorry, not my choice."  
  
"I know, but you're right, not the best place to stay."  
  
"It could be worse."  
  
Yeah. I could be dead. "Right then, I'll take it."  
  
Chuckling Zeke shook his head. "Yes, you do that. I have to make sure the flunkies aren't getting into trouble. I'm the only one with the key to this room, so if someone else comes in, kill them." He dropped a stake on the ground and left.  
  
I watched as he shut the door, hearing the lock move into place.  
  
How long would I be stuck here? Would he come back? And if someone else came in, could I deal with them?  
  
Quickly I picked up the stake. It gave me some comfort. One stake couldn't keep me safe forever, not when I was trapped in a dungeon basement six to ten stories under the earth. Made me wonder if there was an elevator. Surly if they had plumbing they could put in a quicker way to the top. But that would be convenient, and an easier way for humans to outrun them. No, there wouldn't be any elevators.  
  
I walked up to the door. It had those bars you could see threw, so I had a small box showing me the outside. Nothing was out there to look at.  
  
With a sigh I sat down to try to sleep, not knowing any other way to get rid of the time. Unfortunately I wasn't tired, far from it. If anything I was anxious, wanting to move. That nap really was working against me now. I had plenty of sleep to keep me moving while being trapped in a small room.  
  
I tried to sleep anyway, lying with my eyes closed. It didn't work.  
  
I sat waiting for a long time. I wasn't sure how long. There weren't any clocks here. The clocks might reassure the prisoners, at least let them know something. This place was designed to intimidate, no clocks allowed.  
  
After a long time, or at least it felt like a long time, I heard noise outside my cell. I got up to look out the little barred window. There were people out there. From the little I could see it looked like someone was dragging a body through the cell block. Well, two people were dragging it while three other people stood around them, guarding.  
  
I couldn't see any of them well enough to identify them, and I wasn't sure if the body was dead or not. There was a lot of blood though. It was one of the people tortured. The guards dragged the body over a bump and the person groaned.  
  
So he was alive. I was assuming it was male because he just sort of sounded like a guy. I couldn't tell for sure, I wasn't a groan expert, but I thought he did. That would have to be close enough.  
  
They tossed the body into a cell not far from mine before leaving. I could hear their clinking armor as they walked away. I think one of them had a sword. Now I was curious where the group had come from, where this place had come from.  
  
Just a few more questions that would remain unanswered.  
  
Suddenly I was tired, more emotionally the physically, but whatever worked tonight was fine with me. Once again I laid down on the bed, wrapping myself in the blankets as if they could protect me. Then I forced myself to sleep.  
  
~  
  
*You're here because there's no one else.*  
  
No one else? What do you mean?  
  
*You're the only one who's left to hear me, to listen to my warnings.*  
  
Who are you?  
  
*You.*  
  
You make no sense, or was that me who made no sense? It seemed that I was talking to myself, but it was a different me. A different part, some separate segment that I had forgotten about. Not that I could forget anything here. Memory was all around me, just waiting to be called on.  
  
What is it you wanted to tell me?  
  
*So many things. We don't have time for them all. I would rather show you.*  
  
Show me? I see. What is it you want to show me?  
  
*Your past. Your death.*  
  
I just stood there, not sure what to say.  
  
My death? Even as I thought it the memories were coming back. They all blurred together, as if there was more than one, but as I focused it changed to just one. One death that was all too clear.  
  
"Airaei," the same voice I had heard at the beginning, but this time with a picture.  
  
He looked younger then more recent memories, or so I thought. I couldn't remember the recent ones so I wasn't sure. His hair was jet black, soft and strait. I remembered running my hands through his hair. It felt as soft as it looked. The man's eyes were emerald green, bright and shinny, full of emotions. It was a very human thing, but he was human, or he should have been human. The memory felt uncertain.  
  
"What are you doing here?" I asked. I sounded scarred, or only nervous. He shouldn't be here, it was dangerous for him. If they found him here again. . . They wouldn't be happy.  
  
"I wanted to see you again," He whispered softly, pulling me close. I went into his arms willingly. "If they find us, we are only training," I knew the lie wouldn't work, but it was a nice comfort to imagine it would.  
  
But it was still a lie. Knowing that I pulled back, shaking my head. "No. You can't be here." I didn't want to say it, but I had to.  
  
"Airaei, please," There was a note to his voice that made me feel uncomfortable. That had never happened before, he had always been safety, a way to escape. Normally I would have looked into it, but things had been going wrong for so long. . .  
  
"Then let us at least be training." I stated. "Then at least it won't be a lie."  
  
The man smiled, it lit up his face. I loved to see him smile.  
  
He reached for two swords, I'm not sure where they were from, I couldn't see where we were. It didn't seem to be important to the memory. He tossed me a sword, I caught it with ease, twirling it a few times just to warm up a little.  
  
Neither of us had to tell the other we were ready. We were so used to training together that we just knew. There was no warm up fight, not easy blows before we worked up to the real fight. No, today something was different. He seemed rushed, excited. We both started at lightning fast speeds, I matched him blow for blow.  
  
I didn't notice at first when he went past his own speed. While he was strong and fast for a human, he wasn't that fast. And some part of me knew it. Right at the beginning of the fight I knew something was wrong. I just wouldn't let myself believe it.  
  
I knew this fight. I had seen it both as Elisabeth and as Airaei, even if Elisabeth's fight had only been a reenactment, and had ended differently, but I knew when each move would be made, each parry and thrust. I waited, tense, for the climax, what I knew was coming, and what I couldn't remember of what happened next.  
  
We came to the scene I was waiting for.  
  
He was stronger now, I knew something was wrong, he held every advantage. This didn't happen, it was impossible. I knew without a doubt that he was gone, that whoever I was fighting wasn't who he used to be. Perhaps he was a vampire, I wasn't sure, it didn't matter. I had to kill him.  
  
But I couldn't. I stared into his eyes, and knew he wasn't real, but I couldn't kill him.  
  
I had to stop thinking, to rely on instinct. For a moment, just one moment, he slipped up, there was a hole, no way for him to move his sword back in time. I swung mine down on top of him, it would have sliced his scull, but he caught it, his bare hand stopping it at such an angle that it barely cut his flesh.  
  
I stood in shock, not because of his amazing speed or that he stopped what should have been the killing blow. No, that meant nothing to me right now, because when I looked at him, he wasn't human. He was the undead, a vampire in true form.  
  
There were a few seconds that seemed to last an internity while I stared into his wrinkled face, terror gripping me. I blinked and he was human, just like that, but no human could look like he did, at least no sane one. He was grinning, and not in a good way. He looked like he wanted to hurt someone. Like he wanted to hurt me.  
  
He drove his sword into my chest, right beside the heart but not into it. He didn't want to kill me-yet. At this moment if he pulled the sword out I could live. Being both Lerian and a Slayer gave me supper fast healing powers. In an hour I'd be all patched up. A part of me kept expecting him to pull the sword out, to say it was all a joke. He didn't.  
  
No, instead he leaned against me, catching me before I could fall to the ground. He only needed one arm to hold me up and used his free hand to hold my face so that I couldn't look away from him. All the while he was grinning at me sadistically.  
  
Carefully, without hurting me further he pulled me into him, kissing me so softly, mocking me. It wasn't the real him. I was letting a demon kiss me and I knew it, but I wouldn't stop it. My mind was working too slow, I couldn't stop him from killing me, and he knew it.  
  
His mouth kissed its way to my neck where his tongue searched for the larger vain. He found it, but didn't bite right away, instead he sucked softly for a moment before pulling back to tell me one last thing.  
  
"Nothing personal. I'm just here to do what the Boss says," Then his teeth sunk into my neck, ripping my throat out as he struggled to get every last drop of blood. I was dead almost instantly.  
  
My memory wavered a moment, and for just a second it became clearer, I could see things besides just faces, such as the surroundings. They were in an open three sided room, the fourth side being open to a courtyard. Marble pillars lined the walls, making me feel as if I was someone wealthy.  
  
The man looked like he had just walked out of the movie Gladiator. He could have been a Roman foot soldier, or merely a guard. I didn't know enough history to tell for sure. But he was a vampire, and if he was still alive he was very, very old.  
  
I couldn't remember who he was, not even his name. I was stuck in a chamber of memories and the ones I wanted wouldn't even come to me.  
  
*Not yet.*  
  
The voice echoed in my mind, I strained to hear something else. The words just continued to repeat themselves.  
  
*Not yet.*  
  
~  
  
Maria: Okay, I'm first going to say that you should read gidgetgirl's review, because most of what I'm saying is what she said. Now for my arguments. . . The TV show never says that Faith has to be the one to die, I know, I've watched almost every episode. So your rule is just a theory, one I considered before writing this fic and decided that until proven I'm going to it. Yeah, that's about all. . . glad you think the story is cool, if you're still reading it I'd love to hear any other thoughts you have, so review again!  
  
Gidgetgirl: I swear you read my mind, that's exactly what I wanted to tell her. You put it perfectly, so perfectly that you left me without much to say. *shrugs* thanks for reading, hope you're liking it.  
  
Beyond the silence: Hello, glad you're liking it. Interactions are a bit of a problem, it's nice to know you like them. As for how long the stories going to be, I've been thinking about it. Basically I'm trying to keep it to one chapter per episode. That doesn't always work, like in this chapter. The next one should work out, I hope. It's during "Lies My Parents Told Me." After that I think there's five more episodes. So, that's at least five chapters, probably another one or two at the end to fit in the ending, and a chapter about Alucard, if I don't put that into one of the episode chapters. It all depends on what's coming next. Chapter twelve should be up soon, I just have to edit it. After that there's "Dirty Girls" starting it tomorrow. If I finish it and have it up before next Tuesday then I've caught up to the series. If that happens I can't predict what's coming next, I just sort of have to wait for the episodes, or branch off and make my own endings. I know how I want my part of the story to end, but I'm trying to work it in.  
  
Anyway, that was a long answer, so I think I'll leave it at that. If you have any more questions please ask.  
  
~Rave 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12  
  
Waking up used to be a good thing. Back before I was locked in a cell for who knows how long. Actually Zeke knew, and he updated me every time he came back, but I never would have known otherwise.  
  
Six days. It had only been six days. What did it seam like? I'm not sure, but longer than that.  
  
Lucky for me Zeke was a good friend. He stopped by twice a day, always bringing food. He'd been true to his word and brought a few books, all vampire fiction stories. Zeke loved reading them, he said it was hard to find something that was really fiction, unless you read the vampire stories. About all they got right was the crosses and sunlight.  
  
So I had read my way through interview with a vampire, which I had read before, the first three books in the Anita Blake Vampire series, and several other miscellaneous novels. I was tired of reading, though. Zeke said he would have brought a radio but any music might effect the other prisoners, which he didn't want happening. So I was stuck in silence.  
  
Well, not complete silence. Every so often the guards came by to retrieve or drop of some body, either dead or bloody, sometimes both.  
  
I had accepted all of that on the third day though. Right now I was just getting angry. Not at Zeke or any of the other vampires, but at my head and the stupid dreams that kept plaguing me.  
  
I couldn't remember them. I woke up every morning with the feeling that I just dreamt the same exact thing, but I couldn't remember a thing. Not even a fragment of what happened. I would live with it without problem if it wasn't for the fact that they were giving me headaches, literally. Some how I knew the constant aching was related to the dreams I couldn't remember.  
  
It really, really sucked.  
  
Yesterday I had asked Zeke to bring some painkiller with him when he brought breakfast. He said he'd see what they had. After all they were vampires, what do they need pain killers for? They don't have dreams that give them headaches while not telling them a damn thing.  
  
I looked around the room. There was nothing to do and I was getting grouchy. Without knowing what time it was I couldn't guess when Zeke would be here.  
  
The silence was getting annoying. It closed in around me, making we want to stop up and down screaming just to show that there could still be noise. That would have been childish, though. Not to mention it would show that they were getting to me. Which they were, but they didn't need to know that.  
  
Not much later than that I heard the clomping sound of the guards. I knew that I could hear them much sooner than I saw them, but it was awkward waiting. I had found myself trying to guess on whether or not they'd bring someone back or take someone away. It gave me something to do.  
  
I didn't remember them taking anyone off lately, they might have when I was sleeping, but they normally kept them longer than that. I had begun to estimate the approximant amount of time each person stayed away. Some were gone longer than others, all left for at least twelve hours. Over the course of six days you pick a few things up, if I was here a few months imagine what I'd learn. I really didn't want to know.  
  
The men came into sight, they were dragging a body. So much for my guessing. They dragged it through the hall, leaving a bloody trail in their wake. I watched them walk past my door, staring on my tiptoes so that I could see, curious to which room this one was going into. I was really that bored.  
  
To my surprise they stopped one cell over from me, I heard it more than saw it. Actually I didn't see it, I saw the men pull the body in the general direction and them all standing about looking nervous. Unless there were two doors really close over there the new prisoner was one door down.  
  
I heard a thud and a curse, the voice sounding horse and dry and very much in pain. My guess was that the body was still conscious. Looking at the blood it left behind I was wondering how much longer that would be. I guess it depended on whether it was human or not. While I never got a good look at anyone, several had come back that weren't human. We don't have scales, horns, or other such demonic things.  
  
The guards muttered to themselves while shutting and bolting the door. I hear three bolts and a lock. The bad guys weren't taking any chances. I wondered who was in that cell. Obviously the guards were scared of him. I hadn't once seen them look nervous or fidget. They only talked when absolutely necessary. But right now. . . the guy with the sword was clutching it, as if he thought whatever was in the cell would break down the door and come after them. They wasted no time in leaving.  
  
Normally when someone was dropped off here they groaned a bit and just lied there, unmoving. They showed no signs of being alive or caring whether or not they were alive. This one was different.  
  
I heard him hiss as he dragged himself along the floor, I could hear him sliding. Or at least I thought that's what it was, back to me not being so good at identifying noises, but I was trying. After a moment there was another thud, and another curse, still in the raspy voice. The sound echoed in the silence. I wondered if the noises I made echoed, too.  
  
There was the sound of someone rustling about, then silence. He'd stopped moving, I didn't blame him. Anyone who was hurt as badly as he was wouldn't want to be moving. At least he could move, that was more than the others could do, and it gave me the first opportunity I had to talk to someone, no one else had answered, he might be different.  
  
"What're you in here for?" I asked casually, the same thing I had been asked the one time I went to detention. The teacher had left and we were alone, some guy thought he'd strike up a conversation. It was the only thing I could think of to say.  
  
There was no response. I thought the guy might not answer, but waited anyway. There was nothing else to do. Finally he answered, "Who are you?" The voice was starting to even out so that it didn't sound so rusty.  
  
"The prisoner who's not being tortured," I stated bluntly.  
  
There was something that sounded like an attempt of laughter. "Lucky for you then."  
  
I nodded, realizing he couldn't see me. "Yeah, lucky for me," I didn't exactly sound like I meant it. Not that I wanted to be tortured, but being bored wasn't my cup of tea, either.  
  
"You never answered my question, why're you here?"  
  
More silence for a few seconds. "Ran into some old friends. How about you?"  
  
"Same thing," I stated, "or something close."  
  
"Zeke?" He asked, and I froze. He knew me, I should know him, and his voice was so screwed up I couldn't recognize it. Fortunately the options were somewhat limited, made things easier to figure out.  
  
"So this is where you went to, eh Alucard?"  
  
He chuckled again, this time the sound was clearer. When he talked I could identify his voice, even though it sounded as if he had a bad cold. "Yeah, this is where I ended up. I sure made it hard for them to get me here, though."  
  
I nodded again, and then frowned at myself, once again reminding myself that he couldn't see me. "Good," was my only answer.  
  
"How'd you get suckered into this?"  
  
"Went out dancing," I stated.  
  
Alucard answered, "You? Sorry, but you don't strike me as the dancing type."  
  
"Which was why I watched from above as the girls had fun. Then Zeke happened to be there, with back up. There was the whole 'if you don't come with me I'll kill them' speech. So here I am," I explained.  
  
I no longer had any thoughts about Alucard betraying us. He wouldn't have done that just to get captured and tortured. I hadn't seen him in here all week. Was this the only place they kept the prisoners? If it was then where was he? Being constantly hurt by the vampires? That thought sent shivers up my spine. If it was true. . . Alucard shouldn't be able to talk and walk around, he should be just as useless as the other creatures they'd thrown in here.  
  
Maybe that was why the guards were scared.  
  
"So you were out with the girls," Alucard murmured. "Get dressed up and everything?"  
  
"More or less," I stated.  
  
"Sorry I missed it," he said, I could hear a hint of amusement in his voice. "I'll never skip a chance to go out with a bunch of scrumptious girls. Bet they would have tasted good."  
  
I glared at the wall separating us, not appreciating his joke. "You're not touching them."  
  
This time he laughed full out, his voice almost back to normal. But the laugh was fake, almost fearful. There was no joy to it.  
  
"We're never getting out of here," he stated, suddenly calm, serious. "Or at least I'm not. They'll turn you into a vampire and you might even help them kill me."  
  
I couldn't say anything to that, I didn't know what to say. So many thoughts came to mind, all sparked from that statement. He had given up hope. He didn't think he'd die here, he knew it. And he knew it would take a very long time. Another shiver went through me. If I could I'd get him out of here, even if he were an evil vampire who wanted to kill me. At least I'd stake him, give him a clean death.  
  
"What are you thinking, Slayer?" Alucard asked. I couldn't remember him calling me that before. It had always been Liz.  
  
"Why do you want to know?" I asked, sounding calmer than I felt. I wonder if he was doing the same, pretending to be calm.  
  
"I'm curious. How does the Slayer feel when she knows she's going to be changed into a vampire?"  
  
"I say that I haven't given up hope yet."  
  
"Ah, you're being brave. That's good."  
  
"You're not, that isn't."  
  
Again he laughed, but this time it sounded like it hurt him. I heard him growling from frustration, not at me, but at himself. "I'd love to be brave, but there's not a damn thing I can do." He wasn't complaining, just being honest.  
  
"Well, I'm going to find something that I can do. And I'm going to do it, then I'm getting out of here," I said it bluntly, as if it was the only possible thing that could happen.  
  
I had the feeling he was smirking at me. That was fine. He set himself up to get beaten. While I thought I was going to get beat, as well, it didn't matter. That wasn't the point.  
  
Laughter trickled around the cell, it wasn't Alucard's. I heard locks opening, from my door and from his, or so I was guessing.  
  
Someone pulled my door open. It wasn't Veronica, but she was the one staring at me when it opened, all high and mighty in a black dress that showed off more than it hid.  
  
She stood there, looking beautiful, dangerous and sexy, all three I'd admit to, none of them actually meant anything to me. Now the vampires she'd brought with her, they meant something. I glanced around the room, the stake was on the other side. If I ran for it they'd stop me, maybe hurt me. I decided to stay still.  
  
"Well, what have we got here," Vicky purred, walking slowly into my cell. She grinned to me, all too happy with herself. "Zeke's Slayer and her pet vampire." She knocked on the wall between us and Alucard. He didn't say anything.  
  
"Hello Veronica," My voice sounded a lot steadier than I felt, no squeaks or trembling. I was doing good.  
  
Vicky knelt in front of me, staring at my eye level now. "I thought it might be fun to stop by and say hello," I didn't so much as blink as I stared into her eyes. Her grin widened, as if my silence confirmed my fear. Gently she stroked my face with a finger, I didn't move away, but I sure as hell wanted to. "Zeke said I couldn't hurt you." I nodded. "So we came to play with Alucard." She grinned for a moment, flashing fangs at me as she switched to her vampire face, then back, quick as a blink.  
  
"Thanks for the invite, but I'll have to decline the invitation," Alucard called out, his voice sounding worse than before. Was he faking it?  
  
Vicky frowned at me. "Did you here that?" She asked. "I don't think he likes me." she showed me puppy dog eyes, looked almost sad, then she shrugged, suddenly happy. "But it is going to be so much fun. We have to bring somebody." Her eyes twinkled, and she grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet and dragging me out of the cell, I kept up with her so that I wouldn't fall. She stopped right outside the cell and I could see into Alucard's, his door being opened, too.  
  
He looked like crap. His cloths were in rags, torn, slashed and stained with blood and dirt. His face was bruised and beat, along with the rest of his body. There were no major gashes on it, though. A few scratches, but not too much blood there. No, the blood had come from the rest of his body, all the many parts that had been cut into or pulled out. Even as I watched though, I could see him healing.  
  
Vicky grinned at him with a giggle. I think I wanted to slap her. No, not slap, punch, kick, stab, something more violent then a mere slap. Besides, slapping was something she would do. I just couldn't see her in anything other than a catfight.  
  
Alucard looked out at us, I couldn't read any expressions he might have. His eyes focused on Vicky though, those I could see clearly. They were nice and empty, emotionless, and very deadly.  
  
His voice wasn't, though. It fit in perfectly with Vicky's little charade of having fun. "Come now Vicky, she wouldn't be much fun, she'd barely last ten minutes with your style at work." I think he was talking about the way she tortured people.  
  
Vicky shrugged, looking like she was having a hard choice. "But you're already bloody, she's fresh," her eye glanced at me. She looked hungry. I did tremble then, she laughed.  
  
"Fine, but if you want her dead, that's your problem. Zeke's going to kick your ass," He paused a moment, his face twisting into what must have been a grin. "Actually, I'd rather like to see that."  
  
Vicky smirked. "He won't hurt me." She was so confident, it was pitiful. Her smile wasn't, it was terrifying. "Besides, I really want her dead."  
  
Something flashed in Alucard's eyes, could it have been fear?  
  
"Damn, and here I was looking forward to a party," he almost sounded disappointed. Almost.  
  
Vicky looked at him, her eyes narrowing. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were offering to go in her place." No one said anything for a moment.  
  
I glanced back at my stake. It was too far away. If it had been someone else I would have tried to get it, but Vicky wanted me dead, her men wouldn't think twice about killing me.  
  
Turning back to Vicky I saw a smile spread on her face. She walked towards Alucard, the proper sway to her hips. She knelt next to Alucard, bending over enough that he was probably getting a good view of her chest. He wasn't looking though. He just stared at her face as she whispered words that my human hearing couldn't pick up. I watched them speak to each other for a few minutes before she stood back up, a smug smile on her lips. She walked out of the cell and nodded to one of her men.  
  
He went into the cell to grab Alucard, backed up by three other vampires. One of them grabbed my arm and shoved me forward, not letting go of me. He also had three guards helping him. If I so much as stepped out of place they'd be on me.  
  
We didn't have to walk far this time. Just down three hallways then the second door on the left. Not far at all.  
  
Inside was exactly what you'd expect in a torture chamber. A lot of devices with chains, blades, ropes, you know, the usually. I looked around until I found the rack. The room just wouldn't be complete without it. That's all you really needed to make it a torture chamber, that and something sharp. The rest was just to scare us.  
  
It was working.  
  
The guards lead me over to a wall, I didn't bother fighting. They'd drag me if they had to. They were dragging Alucard. They chained both of us to the wall, I had to stand on tip toes so that I wouldn't hang.  
  
Vicky walked over to the both of us, smiling sweetly. It was the look she used with Zeke. He wasn't here right now. I wondered what she was up to. Then I remembered, she was here to torture us. No wonder she was happy.  
  
She took three long steps to Alucard, standing so they were almost touching. "Do you like my party?" she purred, sounding too happy. Alucard didn't say anything. "I was wondering where to start," her eyes glanced at me before returning to him. "I was thinking maybe an appetizer."  
  
Alucard looked at me, understanding what she meant. "I'm not really hungry yet." It sounded like his voice was getting worse. I think he was faking it.  
  
Vicky was laughing again, her face changed into vamp mode. Slowly she leaned forward into Alucard, Putting her hands on his chest to separate them just a little. "Are you sure?" he didn't answer.  
  
Slowly she dug her fingers into him, forcing them into his skin. Alucard jerked and she giggled, slowly pulling her fingers down, taking his skin with her.  
  
"When was the last time you fed?" She asked in a singsong voice. "Three-four days ago? I think you're hungry." She pushed back a little so that she could have a better look at me. "Do you think he's hungry?"  
  
What could I say? He was starving, it was obvious. I just really didn't want him feeding off of me. Couldn't lie to her though, that would make her angry. "Yeah, he's hungry."  
  
Vicky smiled, satisfied. "See, even she thinks so." I couldn't get a good look at Alucard's face, I didn't know what he was thinking. I probably didn't want to know.  
  
"Are you doing this to get back at Zeke for screwing around, or because you don't like the girl?" Alucard asked. There was no emotion to his voice, you could take the question any way you wanted to.  
  
Vicky wasn't sure what he was getting at, she even looked confused as she frowned at him. "If you must know. . . I don't like her."  
  
Alucard laughed at her. "Liar. You're doing this because of Zeke."  
  
Anger flashed on Vicky's face as she growled at him. I was just waiting for her to start screaming at him. After all, how dare any of us disagree with her. She was so much better than all of us.  
  
Oh well, her problem. I agreed with Alucard.  
  
Taking the step back towards him Vicky grabbed Alucard's hair and slammed his head into the wall. "How would you know?" she hissed.  
  
Despite the pain Alucard was smiling. "You don't kill people when you're mad at them. You hurt the people they care about," he answered.  
  
It was like he hit her. She moved away so quickly, furious. "How dare you. . ." she started, glaring at him. Then in an instant her manor changed, and she was smiling again. In her vampire face it was anything but sweet. "Perhaps you're right."  
  
Slowly she turned to me, her eyes glaring into mine as she smiled. It was almost like she completely forgot Alucard as she walked over to me, except that she made sure he had a good view of everything, careful not to get in the way.  
  
"Do you agree with him?" She asked. I nodded. "So you think I'm not mad at you?"  
  
"No, you're mad at me, but you're mostly made at Zeke," I corrected.  
  
She nodded. "And Alucard." Slowly she leaned into me, I had a brief memory of what she did to Alucard, a shiver went down my spine. She smiled, cold and cruel, resting her hands on either side of my head. "Should I make them suffer?" She asked. I think she was asking if she should bite me. I didn't bother to answer. I didn't need to. She pulled back, ready to strike.  
  
"Veronica," the word stopped her. In a second she was off me and in the middle of the room, facing the door, and Zeke, back to her human face.  
  
She smiled at him, as if it would make everything better. He ignored her, glancing at Alucard, and then examining me. He didn't see anything wrong with me so he moved on. I guess Alucard wasn't as important.  
  
"Zeke, I-" Vicky started.  
  
He cut her off with a glance, walking further into the room. "Shut up." His voice was cold as he stopped right in front of her. She started to move towards him and he held out a hand to stop her. Vicky burst into dust leaving Zeke holding a stake in the middle of the room. She hadn't suspected a thing.  
  
As if Zeke had given a signal vampires spilled into the room and spread out, attacking all of Vicky's guards. The guards tried to run but they were outmatched, if not outnumbered. Zeke ignored the slaughter as he walked towards me.  
  
Carefully he opened the chains on my wrist, having to break them because Vicky had the key. He helped me steady myself before backing up, and even then he kept an eye on me. I kept my balance just so he wouldn't catch me, I wasn't sure I wanted him that close to me right now, even if he had saved me.  
  
"I take it you're not unchaining me?" Alucard asked, his voice back to normal. I guess he knew better then to fake in front of Zeke. Vicky might have slipped up, Zeke was careful. He didn't even glance at Alucard. "Fine, that's just great. Leave me with the bad guys to be beat up some more."  
  
That's the idea," Zeke murmured, turning to him. "Boss wants you bloodied up a bit before your meeting. Liz on the other hand, he doesn't want you scratched," he said that to me.  
  
"So his greatness finally decided to show up?" Alucard muttered.  
  
Zeke only nodded, turning back to his men who were done with the other vamps. "Clean her up, then take her up to the Boss, I'll meet you there."  
  
Five of them nodded, tow of which came over and grabbed me. I stumbled at first, and they caught me, being a little more careful while still giving me no slack. Zeke followed us out, leaving another three vampires with Alucard. He stopped my new guards for a moment.  
  
I turned to see why, he was just staring at me, as if trying to find something to say. I just stared at him. What did I have to say? I don't know. There was probably something, but it was too far over my head. I'd let him wonder what I was thinking as I tried to figure him out.  
  
Was it possible for vampires to feel guilty? If it was I'm sure that's what Zeke was suffering from. The Boss was here. It was his job to deliver me to him. I'd get changed into a vampire and join Zeke's side, why should he care? He was a demon, a bloodsucker. He should want this. To him, it wasn't me dying, it was just changing me a little.  
  
Maybe he didn't want the change.  
  
"Liz-" he tried to start.  
  
I cut him off. "I guess I'll see you later."  
  
It was in Zeke's power to keep me here, to make me listen to him, but he didn't. While looking hurt, he nodded, letting the vamps know they could take me away. I almost smiled as I walked away. He was feeling guilty. If nothing else, at least I knew that.  
  
By now I was getting rather tired of the hallways. They all looked the same, and it was bugging me. At least Zeke's vamps weren't dressed in chain mail. All wore fairly modern cloths. Brownie points for Zeke, but I was still mad at him.  
  
On this trip I tried something different, just to kill time. I kept track of where we were going. If we went far I'd never remember it all, but it gave me something to do. My head was filled with rights, lefts and straits as I tried to keep track of them all. Then we came to a door, third on the right. It seemed to soon, I might actually be able to remember the trip. I went over all the directions as they led me inside the room.  
  
It took me a moment to notice where we were, I had been so busy focusing on one thing to look around. Now that I did I wished I didn't. It was a costume room, more or less anyway. Half of the place held the armor the guards had been wearing, the other half was filled with normal, or at least normal for their time, clothes for the rest of us. The vampires around me were all selecting outfits for themselves when one came over with a dress for me.  
  
One look told me it was old, weigh before even my time. The dress was scarlet, not my favorite color to wear, but it wasn't bad. The vampire hung it on a chair and before I knew what was happening hands grabbed at me, taking off the clothes I was wearing and replacing it all with new, or should I say old, clothes. It couldn't have taken them more then three minutes to finish everything, and now all that was left was the makeup, which the one female vampire that had come along was taking care of. At least that was modern.  
  
When everything was finished she twirled me around, I got glimpses of everyone in the room. They were a mixture of people, some dressed as guards, others as nobles, I saw one that looked like a servant or entertainer of some sort. The one thing I didn't see was a piece of wood to stake them all with to get out of this nightmare.  
  
Then again, how I was supposed to fight in this I didn't know. The corset was too tight for much, but they weren't suppose to hurt me, so I might stand a chance. But there weren't any weapons.  
  
I looked around frantically, searching for anything that could be used. There wasn't anything sharp, just a bunch of clothes. The guards outfits had sheaths, but no swords. I had a sneaky suspicion that I could search everything and not come up with anything that could help me. Someone would have had to bring a weapon with them. Which reminded me of something.  
  
I looked around for where everyone had put their cloths. Sure enough they were stacked in a pile not far away. I didn't have time to search through all of the pile though, someone would stop me before long, so I had to think fast. There was a coat on top. Maybe I'd get lucky, if not I was dead. Sounded like a good time to gamble.  
  
I tried to bend over, but the outfit was set up so that I couldn't move very well. Running was out of the picture. I started to take a few steps towards the clothes pile, no one notice.  
  
I was stuck with three choices. I could try to sort of crouch, without bending my back because whatever support they'd used to give me perfect posture wasn't letting me move well , I could kind of bow to it, as if stretching for my feet, that let me bet up quicker, or I could fall, making them think I tripped. It would catch attention, but they wouldn't suspect I was trying to do anything.  
  
I fell, adding in an extra yelp just to make them think it was an accident. The moment I landed I reached for the coat, flipping it over as I tried to make it look like I couldn't get to my feet. It wasn't hard, I really couldn't get to my feet. The trick worked, the vampires were all rushing to help me, and I had found what I was looking for.  
  
Hiding the stake underneath me I tried once again to stand up, one of the vampires was now pulling me to my feet. I let him, but once he let go I turn as quickly as I could and shoved the stake into him. One down, four to go. They all looked surprised, but I couldn't move fast enough to take advantage of it.  
  
The girl was already reaching for my arm. I kicked her away, without falling I might add. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.  
  
The next vampire grabbed me from behind though, and any chance of flipping either of us over the other was out.  
  
"What'd you do to this dress?" I muttered. "It couldn't be meant to be this way. Even medieval people like to move."  
  
"It's made especially for you," he said, I could tell he was grinning. Another vampire reached for my stake again. I braced myself against the vamp behind me and used both legs to kick the one in front, then slammed one of my feet into the shin of the vamp holding me. He flinched, but didn't let go. I noticed, however, he wasn't trying to bite me, or kill me, or really hurt me. Things were looking up.  
  
Kicking him hadn't worked, so instead I wrapped my foot around his leg and pulled while shoving my wait against him, trying to throw him off balance. I didn't think it would work, but he hadn't been expecting it. I got lucky and he fell, letting go of me first.  
  
I turned and kicked him again, wanting him to stay down so that I could get rid of a couple of the others. Two punches and a kick, all done by me, knocked the first vampire back and left his defenses open. I staked him easily.  
  
The next was the girl again, she grabbed my arm, sinking her nails into me. Biting my tongue to keep from making noise I switched hands for the stake, then used my free one to grab her arm and twist it. She punched me, getting me to let go of her arm, then tried to kick my legs out form under me. I jumped to avoid her, and someone caught me from behind. Vampire number three.  
  
He was more my height than the last, I tried a head but, it loosened his grip enough for me to pull away, pushing myself right into the girl, stake first. She was dust. I turned and saw the vampire who first grabbed me, before he could move I dusted him, the last vamp was running. He reached the door and I threw the stake, it landed in his heart.  
  
Now to find a way out, but before that, I had to change.  
  
I wasn't sure how to get the dress off, so I just tore at it. It wasn't my dress, so I wasn't worried about it. Quickly I took off all the undergarments, not worrying about anything. I wasn't sure where my clothes were, though, so I grabbed the first thing I found that was around my size, a light blue dress.  
  
Shoes were a problem, I couldn't find anything normal that was close to my size. Finally I found a pair of boots, I'm not sure which outfit it was supposed to go with, but they fit so I put them on.  
  
Next I looked for a piece of paper and a pen. Lucky for me they were on the makeup desk. Quickly I went over the directions to get here, writing them down as I did so. Making sure I still had the stake I left the room, carefully following the directions backwards. I didn't have any problems getting to the room.  
  
Standing outside the door for a moment I took a deep breath. Three vampires inside. I should be able to take care of them. But was this really a good idea? Alucard could be more trouble then he was worth. Then again, if he knew the way out of here it was worth it. I'd end up running in circles until someone caught up with me.  
  
Once more I took a depth breath. Here goes.  
  
Walking in was easy. Things hadn't changed much, there were a few new cuts on Alucard, but the vampires were just warming up, they hadn't actually done much. They also hadn't been expecting anyone. The moment I opened the door everyone stopped and stared at me. They had literally froze in the middle of what they were doing. It was like something you might see in a cartoon.  
  
Then they remembered who I was, and we were moving.  
  
I ducked, weaved and dodged from attacks, all of us did, with the exception to Alucard who was still chained up. I think my least favorite part of fighting is when we all stand about exchanging punches, and yet it always happens. You can't go into a fight without taking turns hitting each other, or at least I couldn't. I'm sure some people are much better than I am at this sort of thing, but for me, we exchange punches, then one of us gets lucky, and the other one falls down.  
  
I fell down.  
  
One of them reached for me, I grabbed his arm and let him pull me as he tried to react. He lifted me up a foot or so before realizing he was helping me. When I saw the realization click with him I pulled, bringing me up far enough to quickly support myself while bring him down to my level. He put his hand out to catch himself, which worked, but I was one step ahead of him and had my stake in his back before he got back to his feet.  
  
Now I was standing again, this time only facing two vampires. I was thinking maybe we could just skip the punching part. They weren't so much for that idea as they came at me with swinging fists. I shook my head. This wasn't the way I wanted to fight, and I didn't have time to waste with them. There had to be something I could use, we were in a torture chamber after all.  
  
I let the vampires force me back past several of the different devices, none had anything that I could use at the moment. Nothing with long wooden sticks. I wasn't expecting much, but there might have been something.  
  
Sighing I jumped up, grabbing a bar that was above me and kicking both of them away. They backed up and I dropped back to the ground. I kicked one of them for a second time, keeping him off of me for a moment. The other was back with the punches. I hit him once, hard, knocking him off balance before staking him. It took me another ten seconds or so to finish the last, I would have let him go if he wouldn't have raised the alarm.  
  
This time I threw the stake down and leaned against whatever I happened to be next to. I hadn't noticed how tired I was until now. The adrenaline was fading and I just wanted to sit down. Was it too early for a nap? How long had it been sense Vicky had pulled me out of my cell? It didn't matter. I still had to get out of here. That meant taking care of Alucard.  
  
Pushing myself off the device I took a second to get my footing, then for the first time since I got back here I took a good look at Alucard. He was staring back, I met his green eyes through his baggy hair that was hanging over his face.  
  
He wasn't frowning, just staring, almost indifferently. I'd almost say there were no emotions, but they were there, I just couldn't read them. Somewhere in his indifference he was speaking volumes. It was all gibberish, but there was a lot of it. Some part of me told me I was probably looking and doing the same thing. Problem was I was also speaking gibberish, and not understanding a damn thing.  
  
We didn't have time to just stare, but I didn't know what else to do. One of us had to say something, but suddenly I wasn't sure of what to say.  
  
Alucard broke the silence for me. "What are you doing here?" he sounded angry. I had just saved him from these goons and he sounded angry.  
  
My eyes narrowed at him, now I knew exactly what I was thinking, but didn't have time to yell at him. "Do you know the way out of here?" I asked, careful not to let too much anger leak through.  
  
He just stared for a moment. "You're here so I can get you out." He said softly his voice once again blank. I only nodded, not knowing what to say. After a moment he nodded. "Yes."  
  
With that said I walked over to him and broke the chains keeping him to the wall. He staggered a little, almost falling, but he would have fallen on me. I really didn't want that, so I helped steady him. He grabbed the wall, pushing away from me. While he was going to measures not to look angry I knew he was. I just didn't know why.  
  
"Come on, we don't have much time," he muttered, using the all for support as he walked towards the door.  
  
I watched him, he was healing faster than anything I'd seen, but it wasn't fast enough. He was inching along the wall, it looked like it hurt. Who ever had first hurt him must have hurt his legs first, probably to make it harder for him to get away.  
  
With a sigh I walked over to him, grabbing his arm, he looked at me, surprised. "You're going too slow, let me help." He hesitated a moment, not sure, then I put his arm over my shoulder and half pulled him out of the room. He could debate it while we escaped, or after, but not now, not when it would slow us down.  
  
He led me through the hallways, never hesitating. Alucard knew exactly where he was going, I had no doubt of that. We reached the first set of stairs, they were longer than they seemed on the way down. Twenty steps, I counted. Climbing them would have been easy if I wasn't almost carrying Alucard on the way up. First flight of stairs and I was already getting sore. This was really a bad thing.  
  
Alucard continued to lead the way, he was slowly regaining his strength, by the time we reached the second flight of stairs he could almost climb them without my help, but it looked like it hurt. When we got to the top of the stairs he leaned against the walls for a bit, trying to get his strength back.  
  
"You okay?" I asked, getting edgy, I didn't like standing in the open.  
  
He glanced at me, looking like he was thinking too hard. "Yeah, let's go," he said. We continued and he seemed to be rushing. He was trying almost too hard to get to wherever we were going. It took a lot longer to reach the stairs this time, I didn't remember walking that long between flights of stairs before, but maybe we were going out a different way.  
  
Alucard hesitated at the stairs. He glanced back at the hallway behind us for a moment. He risked a glance at me. He looked almost desperate, for what I wasn't sure, and I probably didn't want to know. "Wait here," he insisted, pulling away from me. He half ran back down the hallway.  
  
"Alucard!" I called out in one of those loud whispers you use when you're trying to be quite but still want to yell. He didn't even look back at me. Sighing I started after him.  
  
I made it to the end off the hallway before he turned another corner. I ran faster, knowing that he would, too, if he thought I was following. By the time I turned the corner he was gone. It was a dead end, he had to be in one of the rooms.  
  
I slowed down so I wouldn't make any noise, or at least none that I could hear. The vampires could hear my heart beating, that's fine. I couldn't, that's what mattered. As long the noise I was making wasn't getting in my way everything was just peachy.  
  
I wasn't really expecting to hear anything, Alucard was careful about those kinds of things. Honestly I don't think I heard him, but there was noise coming from behind one of the doors. A load rustling, eager voices, I didn't think it was Alucard, but it was someone, and it was the best shot I had to finding him.  
  
Pushing back the fear that it could be some other vampire I opened the door, not stepping inside but looking around to see if the coast was clear.  
  
It was safe to say nothing in the room would hurt me. Half starved anemic humans aren't really a threat to anyone, especially when they're all crazed vampire junkies. Unless I was trying to stop the vampires from biting them they'd leave me alone.  
  
I was more surprised than anything. There had to be at least twenty people in this room, it wasn't meant to hold that many, but no one cared. At the moment each and everyone of them was focused on the vampire in the room-Alucard.  
  
He was leaning over someone, hunched, for a moment my mind didn't quite realize what he was doing. Well, I knew, how could I not know? But I didn't let it sink in.  
  
He was feeding off someone. Granted, the girl was a junkie who'd let any vamp who wanted her do just about anything, but it was still sickening. Normally I'd stake any person I saw doing that, but I couldn't now and it was tearing me up.  
  
I couldn't stake Alucard. He was getting me out of here. I couldn't kill him once I got outside because I was one of the good guys who weren't supposed to double cross. He could feed on the innocent-or the not so innocent as the case may be-but I couldn't.  
  
So I stared, watching him drain her dry, not knowing what to say or even if I should go. He'd know I was here, but I really didn't want him to look up at me right now. Terrible thoughts of him covered in blood filled my mind. I didn't want to see that, not when I couldn't kill him. Maybe he'd do something stupid like attack me, then I could do it, but at the moment. . . I was stuck watching.  
  
Finally he dropped the girl, it seemed like it took forever. He sat, still with his back to me, not sure if he should turn. Carefully he wiped his mouth. He turned to one of the men lying nearby. The man was pleading with him to bite him. He didn't care if he died, he just wanted to be fed off of.  
  
Things began to get dizzy, I had to leave before I threw up here. I would not make an ass of myself in front of him, not if I could help it. I turned to go before I could see what Alucard was planing to do to the man. I didn't hear a struggle as I walked away, I almost wished I had. Over all I was pleased with myself. I hadn't thrown up. Then again I'd watched Alucard feed, so I wasn't quite pleased anymore.  
  
I was leaning my face against the wall when Alucard came back. The wall was cool and I wasn't, I used it as an excuse not to look at him.  
  
"Liz, let's go," He said, his voice firm. I had to look at him now, couldn't stay on the wall.  
  
Nodding I turned to the stairs, trying to ignore him, but he led the way up. The blood must have been enough to finish healing. I watched him carefully. How old do you have to be to heal that quickly? Spike was over a hundred and it could still take days to heal the bigger wounds. Alucard was good as new and he'd been worse than I had ever seen a vampire.  
  
Alucard glanced back at me, his face perfect. He'd cleaned off any blood that might have dripped on to him, even changed his clothes. I wondered which human had given him a new set. Maybe one he had killed. Alucard quickly shifted his gaze, maybe he didn't like what he saw in my face. I couldn't be sure of what it was, but there were a lot of options, all of them unpleasant.  
  
We finished our third flight of stairs and my legs were sore. No, not my legs, only one leg. My knee in fact. The stupid knee I had hurt over a week ago. Count on me to have week knees when we had to climb stairs.  
  
"Shit," I muttered, more to myself then anything. Alucard glanced back to see what was wrong, I just shook my head. I didn't want to talk to him.  
  
After walking through the next floor I was almost positive we were going longer ways. I wasn't sure why, and I didn't want to ask, at least not yet. All questions I thought up would be saved for times when I wasn't so angry.  
  
The fourth set of stairs was longer than the others. The staircase spiraled up, we walked after it. Slowly but steadily I trudged up the stairs, until a sharp pain in my knee made me stop.  
  
Growling to myself I leaned against the wall. This couldn't be happening now. Why couldn't I get hurt when it wouldn't affect my escape? Like in Texas. I could have been hurt when we first went there.  
  
"Liz, are you okay?" Alucard had come back after he noticed I was no longer following him.  
  
Slowly I nodded. If I spoke out loud he might hear the lie, not that he didn't know I was lying, it was just less obvious this way. He was frowning at me though. One of those frowns where they know you're completely wrong, and they know you know it, too.  
  
"I'm fine." I insisted.  
  
Still frowning Alucard shook his head. "You're not." He didn't know what was wrong, just that something was. So if I could prove that nothing was wrong he might leave me alone.  
  
I walked past him, continuing up the stairs while trying to ignore the jolting pain in my knee. Alucard followed two steps behind me, as if anticipating a problem.  
  
The problem came when my knee gave out. Literally it just kind of stopped working when I put pressure on it and just bent. I would have collapsed if Alucard hadn't been there to catch me.  
  
I froze in his arms, suddenly completely still. I would have pushed away but I wouldn't have been able to stand, and he knew it. Pictures of him biting that girl kept flashing through my mind, though. I couldn't feel comfortable like this. Alucard realized that, but he either didn't care or chose to ignore the fact.  
  
"You're not okay," he stated, completely serious. I could only nod. "Damn we don't have time for this," he muttered, more to himself then to me. With a sigh he moved me a little, adjusting my position. I was about to ask what he was doing when he lifted me up holding me in both arms and continuing up the stairs.  
  
Yelping or shouting seemed like good ideas, but they were both loud and I didn't want to be heard. So instead I grabbed him, holding tight for a few seconds, mostly out of fear. People don't tend to pick me up, especially without me knowing they were going to. Well, Alucard had a few times, but that was different. I really didn't want him touching me right now, but I didn't have a good argument for why he should put me down. Saying that I felt uncomfortable didn't really cut it in this scenario. Once again you might say that he was saving my life.  
  
Damn it. I didn't want that.  
  
He began to speed up, almost running up the stairs. When he got to the top we were back in the age of electricity. We past a light bulb and I couldn't help but smile. Light bulbs were good, I understood them. They were much better than torture chambers and torches.  
  
Alucard continued faster, gradually growing faster until things started to blur. I felt my stomach jump as he began climbing stairs and for a moment felt sick. Motion sickness, that had to be it. It was awkward. I had ran this fast before, several times, but being carried this fast was a whole new story. Needless to say, I didn't like it.  
  
"Alucard, slow down," I gasped, trying to keep my stomach from feeling to queasy. I wasn't sure how to stop it, but I figured if I kept telling myself it was fine it might get better. Unfortunately I'm a realist, I felt sick and I told myself such. It didn't work well.  
  
Alucard slowed down as he finished climbing the latest stairway. I wasn't sure how far we'd gone, I had lost track a while ago.  
  
Carefully he lowered me to the ground, holding onto me until I got steadied. I stared firmly at one particular brick in the wall. Focusing on it helped me block everything else out. After a minute I felt just fine.  
  
Alucard motioned me to be quite and slowly lead me through the house. He didn't look worried, only cautious. I had the feeling that someone might be around, but I trusted Alucard to get me out of here.  
  
Finally we reached a door. It was bigger then the others and looked important. Alucard waited a second before opening it, as if he was checking for something. Once it was open he stepped aside, motioning me through. I took a couple steps inside, looking around. It was a tunnel underground. No more bricks, just dirt.  
  
"Follow this up, I'll meet you at the top in a few minutes," Alucard told me, his face was too serious for me to try to argue. I took a few steps backwards, watching him shut the door.  
  
Now I had no choice but to go up. Slowly but surely I kept walking. The tunnel was perfect, nothing got in your way, it was just a steady incline until at last it flattened out.  
  
I walked out of the tunnel and into a basement, or at least it looked like a basement. There were several doors leading out. I considered waiting for Alucard, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to go anywhere without him, but it felt odd just standing here, and I didn't know how long he'd be.  
  
I walked to the nearest door, opened it and walked through. I had two choices, left or right. I went left, following the hallway until it came to a door that was slightly ajar. I pushed it all the way open and walked through.  
  
The room wasn't empty, there were plenty of things in it, but only one thing you noticed. In the center of the floor was a large metal circle with a picture of a goat sticking its tongue out at you. I'd seen the picture before, Buffy had shown it to me. This was the seal of Danthalzar. We were in the school's basement.  
  
"Liz? What're you doing here?" I turned around, Alucard was staring at me, looking almost annoyed.  
  
I glanced back at the seal. It was supposedly evil, I believed that, but at the moment it didn't feel dangerous. Should it have?  
  
"Liz, we have to get out of here," Alucard insisted.  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, sorry, do you know your way out of here?" I had actually never been here before.  
  
Alucard nodded. "Yes, follow me." I did, and we both walked through the door. I closed it behind me.  
  
Alucard didn't say anything. He simply walked silently but quickly, I had to work to keep up with him. He followed the hallway, going through doors that were already opened. All the while he was in a rush to get somewhere.  
  
"Alucard, wait," I said, he glanced back. "What're we running from?"  
  
He looked confused for a moment, but then he smiled, it should have been a nice smile, merely amused, but it wasn't, it was almost unnerving. How could someone make something so simple terrifying? I took an involuntary step back and the smile vanished.  
  
"Come on, the exit's just over there," he nodded to our right, there was an open door leading into darkness. Suddenly I didn't trust him, something was wrong.  
  
I took another step back, this time meaning to. The frown deepened and I took another. Fear was whispering to me to get out of here. Something was wrong. Alucard didn't seem like Alucard. Realizing that I did the only thing I could do. I ran.  
  
I didn't know where I was, but I was retracing our steps. He'd probably catch up to me sooner or later, but I didn't want to be there. The place just hadn't felt right. None of this felt right. So I just kept running.  
  
A door opened right in front of me and I almost tripped over my dress as I stopped myself from crashing into it. I couldn't stop myself from hitting it a little just to slow myself down, I had been going to fast, but at least I hadn't smashed whoever was behind it. Maybe that wasn't such a good thing. It could have been a bad guy.  
  
"What the. . ." I heard Alucard say as he stepped away from the door, shutting it so he could see. He looked at me with surprise, I looked at him scared. "What happened.?" He asked, confused. If he hadn't been confused I would have been worried, but that one look told me I was okay while explaining so much more.  
  
I glanced behind me, no one was there, or at least no one I could see. Honestly there had to be someone there. The first had been leading me into a trap, it needed something to take care of me once I stepped into it.  
  
"I'm fine," I stated, and I sounded like i meant it. "But we should go. Now."  
  
Alucard just nodded, watching me as he began to walk down the other hallway. It was a short trip to the door out of the basement, but Alucard's eyes never left my face. I wasn't sure what he was looking for, so I ignored him, or tried to.  
  
Then we were in the school, and then outside. Then we were walking back to Buffy's, and then at her door. And the whole time I had forgotten what I was going to tell them. Or rather I hadn't bothered to think something up.  
  
We stood on the porch a long time. With me staring at the door and Alucard staring at me. What could I say? Would they believe the truth? What was the truth?  
  
I heard myself sigh and walked to the door. Three quick knocks was all that was needed for someone to answer. Again I wondered what time it was, couldn't be too late if Dawn was still up answering doors.  
  
She looked from me to Alucard and back to me. I glanced again at Alucard, who was looking at me in away that asked, 'what now?'  
  
I said hello, walked into the house, gently pushing Dawn as I did so just to prove I was real. I glanced at the clock. It was about midnight, looking back at Alucard I sighed.  
  
Leaving him outside wasn't an option, but bringing him in could get him killed. I needed a bath, but I didn't have time to take one until after Alucard had been taken care of.  
  
"Dawn, is Spike here?" I asked.  
  
She looked at Alucard again. "Yeah, he just got back. He's in the basement."  
  
"Can you get him and Buffy please?" I asked. Dawn hesitated, not sure what was going on, but finally nodded and went off to find the two.  
  
"What're you doing?" Alucard asked.  
  
I glanced at him quickly, seeing Dawn come back with Spike before she ran upstairs. "I'll tell you in a bit," I said to Alucard before Spike could start his questioning.  
  
"Where have you been?" He started calmly. He looked almost as tired as I felt.  
  
I gave him a quick reassuring smile. "Off almost getting killed. No big deal," I stated. He looked at me like it was a big deal, and we both knew it was.  
  
Spike was about to ask more then Buffy and Dawn were coming down the stairs. He took a step back, giving Buffy center stage. She first saw me, for a moment she looked concerned, then her eyes looked past me to Alucard. Concern was gone replaced by irritance. She wasn't angry, just annoyed. She turned back to me, her eyes asking why he was here while at the same time yelling at me. I didn't back down from my position, but I wasn't up for a fight either.  
  
"What is he doing here?" She finally asked.  
  
Now for the argument. What could I say to convince her to let him in? Where would we put him once he was in? I took a deep breath. "He just got me out of a tight spot, believe me we can trust him. I think he could help us, and you know we need the help," I said. I sounded tired, she knew it. Neither of us wanted to argue about this.  
  
"You do remember that he led you into a trap," Buffy pointed out.  
  
"He didn't mean to. He didn't know about it."  
  
"Can you prove that?"  
  
I hesitated, then shook my head. "Look. the vampires who ambushed us hate him. He knows this, they tricked him to."  
  
"Then were was he after the fight?" This time Spike asked. He wasn't looking too thrilled to see Alucard, either.  
  
"I was dragged back with the vamps," Alucard stated, knowing we hadn't discussed that and I didn't know the answers. "They've been keeping me around for when the Boss showed up."  
  
This Spike could understand. He got the hint that Alucard's stay hadn't been pleasant, and he knew why. Many vampires liked to torture those they didn't like. I wasn't sure Buffy would understand right away, but at least Spike thought the story could be real. That was a start.  
  
"Fine, why is he here?" Buffy asked, skipping to the point.  
  
"Because. . ." I didn't know. Why was he here? He could find another place, the watchers had, and they had other people after them. It would be safer if he left, he could come back tomorrow. That would be the easiest thing to do. Then why didn't I just suggest it? I rubbed my eyes, trying to think. "I don't know. I just feel that he should be here."  
  
Buffy didn't look convinced. "Is that your only reason?"  
  
What could I say? If I answered yes she'd tell him to leave. My head wasn't thinking fast enough to figure it all out. "We could lock him up if we needed to, right? I know we have chains somewhere." I wasn't sure what Alucard would think of that, but he wasn't complaining.  
  
Buffy's eyes narrowed. "Would they hold him? Can you guarantee everyone's safety? Unless you're sure we can't let him in here. He's a vampires, we can't trust him."  
  
Okay, the response to that was obvious. "Spike's a vampire."  
  
"Spike has a soul."  
  
"You let him in here before that."  
  
"He had a chip in his head."  
  
"Was there any point where you would have trusted him without the chip?" This was a long shot, I didn't know the answer.  
  
Buffy didn't answer right away. She turned to Spike, he just stared at her. I'm sure that at one point he wondered the same thing, but he never really asked her.  
  
"Yes," she answered softly, "There was a point I would have trusted him."  
  
Hey, I might just make this work. "Then why shouldn't I trust Alucard? You might not know him, but I'm positive he won't hurt us."  
  
Buffy shook her head. "Sorry, that doesn't work."  
  
"Why not?" I asked, getting frustrated myself.  
  
"Because Spike loved me."  
  
Oh, that was a set back. I just sort of stood there, not sure of what to say. There really wasn't any argument to that, I'd have to try a new approach.  
  
Alucard was testing the limits of this one. "If I said I loved her could I get inside?" It was a joke, it sounded like a joke, but I couldn't help but looked surprised. All of us just stood there, kind of frozen.  
  
Spike spoke first. "If you said you loved her it would be a good excuse to stake you."  
  
Alucard kind of half smirked. "Yeah, you could try."  
  
"I think the point is it wouldn't work," I stated, trying to change the topic.  
  
Buffy was nodding, ignoring the whole comment. "I think the point is that he needs to leave."  
  
I sighed. We were getting nowhere. "Okay, why don't you want him inside?"  
  
"He could kill us," she said it like it was obvious, which it was, but I was going to make her be specific.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Her eyes narrowed again. "Because he's a bad guy, he's evil, he could be working for your Boss guy of even the first."  
  
Okay, now to prove her wrong. "He's not a bad guy, he's been helping me. He's not working for the Boss, they've been beating the shit out of him for over a week, and he's not working for the first," I paused to think of a way to prove it. "I saw the first today, pretending to be him. If he was working for it then the First would have had him lead me into the stupid trap himself." I glanced at Alucard, he knew better than to look surprised, but he was staring at me, letting me know he had questions even if they were hidden.  
  
"You forgot the 'he's evil' part," Spike pointed out. I glared at him for a second. He just shrugged, not caring.  
  
I stole another glance at Alucard, not sure how to disagree. He was after all a vampire.  
  
Buffy seemed to be thinking. I couldn't tell what about. Maybe she was trying to figure out how to argue some more, or how to make me give up, or maybe she was calculating the amount of time it would take her to kill Alucard.  
  
Spike looked at Buffy, then back to me. If I didn't know any better I'd think he was trying to decide which side to take. His eyes finally settled on Alucard, I turned to look at him, too.  
  
Alucard was watching Buffy, but he switched to look at Spike when he saw him looking. They stared at each other for a long moment, and I had the feeling the gibberish was back, but this time they understood. Spike turned to look at Buffy.  
  
"Why don't we just let him stay the day. We've got chains in the basement and if we keep the shutters open he can't come out." had I heard that right? Did Spike just say that? Buffy was looking as surprised as I was so I think he did.  
  
That took the fight out of Buffy. She literally threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine, let him come in, hear that? You're invited."  
  
Alucard smiled and crossed the threshold, nodding thanks to Buffy. Buffy rolled her eyes and stormed upstairs. "Make sure he's in chains!" were here parting words.  
  
"I don't think she likes me," Alucard murmured, amused.  
  
Spike shrugged. "Neither do I, so get downstairs," apparently whatever had caused Spike's moment of insanity was gone, and he was back to his normal self.  
  
I nodded to Alucard. "This way." He followed me without a backwards glance, but I knew he was grinning, I just didn't know why.  
  
Spike followed us in and checked the chains. He locked Alucard up himself, then told me to go away. He'd been living in the basement and he wasn't thrilled to share it. Now he wanted to go to sleep. I left without complaint, I had won the fight only because of his help. He could have some peace and quiet. Not to mention a nap didn't sound bad.  
  
It was almost awkward being back into the house. I kept walking around expecting to see stones. The feeling didn't go away until I went to sleep.  
  
~  
  
Was watching Buffy last night. . . great episode, anyone else have opinions on it? I'm not sure how my story's going to fit in, but hey, I'll figure it out. Next chapter we find out a little more about Elisabeth, chapter after that I think we'll find out more about Alucard. If I can get it to work. *shrugs*  
  
gidgetgirl: Good advice, you're right, I do rely on direct dialogue from the show. This chapter had a little original. Next two chapters will have a lot more. Thanks for the review and your advice!  
  
~rave 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
  
"So, what do we have so far?" I asked Chris, who was sitting across the table from me.  
  
He opened the book, showing me the first page as he began to explain. "We don't have a lot of information on the Lerian language, it's virtually unheard of. I managed to dig up some really old documents, but they don't say much.  
  
"What we do know is that it's very complex. When writing it if you rearrange the words it can change the meaning entirely. One misplaced word is all it takes and just like that you can go from asking for an apple to declaring war on Greece."  
  
I raised an eyebrow. "What do you have the translations?"  
  
He nodded. "It was the only example given," he stated, pulling out a parchment to show me. I shook my head, I believed him.  
  
"So it's complex, is that going to make it hard to read?" I asked.  
  
He kind of nodded, like he wasn't sure. "I'm not so certain that the complexity will make it hard, it's more our lack of understanding any of the words. I mean, I've been able to relate it to several demon languages, but I don't think it really came from Earth." I just stared at him, my gaze telling him to go on. "I think the Lerian's are from a different world. There have been some references that support the theory."  
  
Slowly I nodded as I considered that. Chris had been examining the book almost non stop since he saw it. It was like someone just gave him the best toy he could every get, one big giant puzzle that he was determined to solve. At the moment he didn't know much, but he was piecing things together, and he was really good at that.  
  
"What I think we need is the history behind this," Chris stated with a sigh, nodding to the book. "If we could only find out why it was written, or how they knew about what would happen, then I think I could figure it out. That or a list of definitions complete with the arraignments for sentences. At the moment I'm not sure which one is more likely to show up."  
  
I nodded, understanding. "So what do we do?"  
  
"I'm try to figure it out. I see a pattern to the words, if I can find the pattern I think I can use it as a key. There are a few translations in some of what I found, I can use that to start," he sounded tired but determined. Lloyd had said he'd been up late working on this, I was beginning to wonder how late.  
  
I didn't ask, instead I just nodded. "if you need help with anything, ask." Chris only nodded.  
  
I got up to leave, letting him go back to studying scrolls, parchments and books. He might be a book worm, but he was good at what he did.  
  
Spike was walking into the dinning room just as I walked out. "There you are," he said, sounding somewhat annoyed, but not with me. "I've got a job for you."  
  
"Uh-huh, that's nice," I tried to push past him, he blocked me.  
  
"Find a new spot for your vampire before I stake him."  
  
I looked up at him. "I thought you didn't mind sharing your room."  
  
Spike stared down at me. "I didn't, now I do. You try living with him for awhile, tell me if you still like him."  
  
I smirked. "You liked him?"  
  
He glared. "You know what I mean."  
  
Nodding I walked past him. "Yeah, yeah. I'll take care of it. Most of the girls are at Xander's so I might be able to find a room to put him in, but Buffy won't be happy."  
  
"We could just stake him and end the problem," Spike shouted after me. I didn't bother to answer.  
  
I looked over the rooms upstairs. Dawn's, Willow's and Buffy's. They wouldn't be happy to give one up. I'd suggest sticking him in a closest but I doubt anyone would agree to that. Couldn't keep him in the bathroom, we needed that. If only they had another room. Every inch of free space was taken over.  
  
With a sigh I wandered into Dawn's room. Lucky for me she was there. Willow and Buffy wouldn't move for Alucard, but I might convince Dawn to let me borrow her room for a couple of days.  
  
"Hey, Dawn. What's up?" I asked from the doorway.  
  
Dawn glanced at me, smiling for a second. "Nothing much. How's the watcher doing with that book?" she asked cheerfully.  
  
I shrugged. "He doesn't understand much at all, but he's having a great time with it." I grinned at her before growing serious. "Actually I'm here for a favor."  
  
Dawn nodded, putting down what looked like a diary. "Shoot."  
  
"I was wondering if I could borrow your room for a few days," I asked, sounding as unsure as I felt.  
  
Dawn was staring at me, considering things. She didn't seem so happy about the idea, but at least she was thinking it through. "Why?"  
  
"Spike doesn't want Alucard in the basement, I have to find a spot for him," I said bluntly.  
  
Dawn nodded. "He's not, like, going to be in my bed or anything, is he? I don't know how much I like that guy."  
  
I grinned. She had as much as said it was okay. Now I just had to wait for the catch. "He won't be on your bed, scouts honor." Okay, so I wasn't a girl scout, I don't think she cared.  
  
Dawn nodded. "Fine, but you have to stay with him. I don't want him left alone," she paused to think for a moment. "We might have to put Faith up here, too, I don't think any of the girls will want to sleep with her or the vampire."  
  
I nodded. That would be convenient for Dawn, so it worked. From what I heard of Faith she should be interesting enough to talk to, if she felt like talking. Buffy and Dawn didn't think too highly of her, none of the scoobies did. She had been declared a rouge slayer.  
  
"Whatever works," I told Dawn. "Would it be okay if I brought him up now?"  
  
Dawn hesitated moment. "Give me fifteen minutes or so, then go ahead."  
  
I smiled at her, letting her know I was happy. "Thanks Dawn, I'll be up in a few."  
  
That was easy. When it came to Alucard easy was good, hard got you almost dead. Though I don't know how Dawn would get around to almost killing me. Maybe she could have Buffy do it.  
  
I considered the thought of Buffy and me in an actual fight as I walked downstairs. The basement was cool and quiet, very nice this time of day when potentials normally stood about yelling their heads off, or at least it sounded like that. They were actually just talking a lot. It reminded me of high school, non stop chatter.  
  
Alucard sat on what use to be Spike's caught. He was chained to the wall with his eyes closed, not looking up, but he was smirking. Spike was on the other side of the room glaring at Alucard while at the same time managing to look smug.  
  
"What's up with you two?" I asked as I walked down the stairs.  
  
Spike glanced at me, a smile spreading across his face. "Find a room?"  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, Dawn's letting me use hers for a few days."  
  
"Dawn's room?" Spike asked, unsure for a moment. He glanced at Alucard.  
  
"Don't worry, she won't be there. Just me and Faith," I stated.  
  
Spike went from looking worried, to happy, then to a little of both. "You're going to be in the same room as him?" he asked, not happy about it.  
  
"Come now Spike, your sister can take care of herself, can't you Liz?" Alucard asked, suddenly opening his eyes and sitting up. He asked it as if he knew perfectly well that I couldn't. I just looked at him, my face blank. He was trying to bug Spike, I was going to stay out of their bickering until someone bothered to tell me why they were bickering.  
  
So instead I turned my attention to Spike. "Faith will be there too. Two Slayers guarding him, I think we'll be okay."  
  
Spike didn't look sure, but he nodded. "Fine, get him upstairs then." He left it at that, having nothing else to say.  
  
I just shrugged at him, walking over to Alucard who was sitting patiently. He held his arms out to me when I got there. "Are you using these chains, or do you have another set?"  
  
I shrugged. "Dunno, don't care," I stated, pulling out the key. I'd kept an extra with me in case anything came up. "I'll ask Dawn about it on the way up."  
  
"What, you're taking him around unchained?" Spike asked, turning back to us.  
  
"Yep," I said with a nod, finishing unlocking the chains. Alucard stood up with a smirk, rubbing his wrists. "Don't worry, he won't do anything stupid," I stated, walking for the stairs. Spike didn't do anything to stop us, but he was glaring at Alucard. I rolled my eyes at the both of them and Alucard followed me out.  
  
We reached Dawn's room without any other interruptions. Alucard glanced around, taking in everything. Dawn had left, taking some of her stuff with her. Alucard seemed to accept the room and sat down on Dawn's bed for a moment.  
  
"Not bad, better than chains," he stated.  
  
I shrugged. "Glad you like it, I guess, but you don't get the bed. Sorry, Dawn said you had to stay off."  
  
"Shucks," he said with a frown. Slowly he got to his feet, stretching as he did so. "So what, I get the chair?"  
  
"Yeah, you do."  
  
He walked to it and sat down. "You going to find the chains?" He asked, not sounding particularly happy about it.  
  
"Promise not to leave the room or kill anyone?" I asked.  
  
Alucard glanced up at me, his face strait, except for his eyes which seemed to be grinning at me. "Sure, I promise not to kill anyone or leave the room. I won't even hurt anyone if it'll make you happy."  
  
I flashed him a brief smile. "Good, no chains for now. You do anything out of line I'll change my mind."  
  
He smirked again, leaning back in the chair. "That works. Don't worry, I'll be good."  
  
"Yeah, just like with Spike, right?" I asked as I took his spot on the bed.  
  
Grinning he shrugged. "Sorry, can't help myself. He's so easy to bug. He reminds me so much of. . ." Alucard paused for a moment, staring strait at me but not looking at me. It was as if he was seeing a completely different scene. He shook himself out of it. "Sorry, sorry," he murmured, still half in thought.  
  
Frowning at him I had to ask, "He reminds you of who?"  
  
Alucard shook his head. "It's not important."  
  
"Come on, the moment you say that my curious grows," I stated persistently.  
  
He stared at me a moment, then finally answered. "His name was Lurio. Mean anything to you?" He asked, his voice blank.  
  
I wasn't sure what the question was for, but I didn't recognize the name. "No, not a thing. Don't think I've heard it before."  
  
"See, it was nothing," he stated, relaxing again. I frowned at him. Why did it seem like he thought I might know the name? He almost seemed glad I didn't know it.  
  
"Who was Lurio?" I asked. Curiosity was working against me, I didn't want to push, but I really wanted answers.  
  
Alucard shook his head. "Someone I killed a long time ago." Could that be why he didn't want to talk about it? Probably.  
  
I beat my curiosity down this time. It wasn't my place to ask him to explain, especially when I really wasn't happy with the thought of him killing people. So instead of more questions I stood up. "I'm going to look for Giles, I'll be back later." I walked for the door.  
  
"What do you need Giles for?" Alucard asked.  
  
Normally I would have blown the question off, but he'd answered mine. "I need some help with a dream."  
  
"A prophecy?" He asked.  
  
I shook my head. "No, don't remember it." Then I left. Let him figure it out, or try to. I still didn't know what was going on. If what I heard was true about a stone Giles brought back with him, though, then I might figure something out.  
  
Giles was in the kitchen finishing up a conversation with Chris who had a box of all of his stuff in front of him.  
  
"You leaving?" I asked.  
  
Chris glanced over at me. "Yeah, I have some more stuff back at the hotel, so I'm taking it all back there." I nodded understanding. He picked up the box and smiled a good bye. "I'll see you later, Beth, Giles," he nodded to each of us as he said our names, then left the room.  
  
Giles stared after him a moment before turning back to me. "Beth, can I help you with something?"  
  
I nodded and took a deep breath. "I know this'll sound weird, but I've been having these dreams, and I don't remember them, but I think they're important and they're giving me awful headaches, and I was wondering if maybe I could use that stone, what'd you call it? The Prokaryote stone? Yeah, that was it. Anyway, I wanted to know if you could help me use it to remember the dreams." I said it quickly, all in one breath.  
  
Spike had used the prokaryote stone a few days ago to work on this trigger thing the first was using on him. Spike had only muttered about a song our mom used to sing, and how the trigger didn't work anymore. I wasn't quite sure what a trigger even was, but from what Xander had said I think it had something to do with controlling Spike. Every time he heard that song he'd gone all evil. That was taken care of now, and I was looking for help.  
  
Giles stared at me as if he hadn't quite heard what I had said. For a moment I thought I might have to repeat myself, then he spoke. "I don't think that would be wise It can be very dangerous and unpredictable. The only reason I suggested it with Spike is because he's already dead, it won't kill him."  
  
Okay, that wasn't good. I didn't want to die pulling out the memories, but I didn't want to be stuck not knowing what was going on. "So it could hurt, but it might not, right?"  
  
Giles was frowning, but he nodded.  
  
"So things could go fine."  
  
"How important are the memories?" Giles asked. Good question. Just another million dollar question. I really should start answering those.  
  
"I'm not sure," I said honestly. "But I need to know, even if it's nothing, then at least I need to know it's nothing."  
  
Giles nodded. "Have you talked to Buffy?"  
  
"Why would I talk to her about this? It's not her problem. Besides, you're the smart one who's supposed to know a lot," I said without thinking.  
  
Giles frowned for a moment. "I'm glad someone thinks so." He said at last. "But still, you should think about this."  
  
"I have."  
  
"I don't know you that well, I don't know how to talk to you," he started, "but I do know you don't seem to be a complete idiot. If you feel this is something you must do then I'll help you, but I hope that you aren't just rushing into it." Wow, he had the whole father thing down good. It was as if he could make anyone feel responsible, or as if we should be responsible. I wonder if it worked on spike.  
  
Mentally I shook my head to get back to the point. Giles was being serious, I had to be, too. "I'm sure, don't worry. I just want this done."  
  
Giles nodded and told me to meet him in the backyard. The potentials wouldn't be out there, and the neighbors wouldn't think twice about something strange happening at this house. He came back with the stone, explaining to me that it would crawl into my eye and enter my brain. That just sounded sick.  
  
"Ready?" he asked at the end of his speech. I took a shaky breath and nodded. "Just sit still." I nodded again.  
  
"Kun'ati belek sup'sion. bok'vata im kele'beshus. Ta'li ta'li ek'vota. Mor'osh boota'ke."  
  
The stone Giles had out began to unfurl into a black leech like creature. Giles brought the box it was in closer to me and it slid onto my face.  
  
I sat frozen, scared to move. There was a leech on my face that was about to crawl into my eye. Maybe I hadn't thought this through. There was no going back, though, it was already there, I could see it in front of my left eye. Shuddering slightly I felt it draw closer, and then plunge into me.  
  
I'm not sure it hurt, or at least not at first. It was more of a shock. My hands went to my eye, as if to protect it, but I could feel the thing sliding into me already. It hurt then, worse than any headache I've ever had. It was like a giant pulse in my head, beating against me as it squeezed itself into my mind. My body started to shake, I couldn't stop it. I clenched my muscles, trying to stop myself from moving, then things just stopped. For a moment everything was black, and I started to remember.  
  
~  
  
This wasn't my house, but we sat at the head table, anyway. I looked around the room, I recognized everyone. They were my clan, my kin, all of which were talking happily to each other, full of smiles.  
  
I wasn't smiling, nor was I happy. My father, Lunaris, wanted me here. I had to be with the family, help represent the clan. We were in charge of it, the leaders. I didn't want to be, I was tied to the human world more than the rest, in several ways. This gatherings didn't interest me. I could care less whether we celebrated anniversaries or new steps of knowledge.  
  
We, the Lerians, were the book keepers of worlds. We knew more about the humans then they did. Are purpose here was to gather our information, then we would leave. Granted, my clan would be here after I returned home, but that wasn't important.  
  
They might be recorders, content to sit and eat the find foods and enjoy dinner, I wasn't. I was one of the few guardians, I protected my race. I suspect that's why I had the soul of the human guardian, the Slayer. Or one of them.  
  
I glanced around the room. Everyone sat at family tables, eating the bite size food, dressed in their best. Most had their clothes dyed colors, I kept mine white. The girls had their hair up, as I did, but only on my father's request. At least he had let me choose my own clothes, a simple tunic held up by gold clasps on my shoulders. That had been my father's choice, not mine.  
  
He was the leader, he could afford gold clasps and marble. We were surrounded by Lerians, and I just wanted to leave. My eyes wondered the room again, but found no one to get me out of here. I was stuck.  
  
~  
  
The scene had changed. I was no longer surrounded by marble, but instead I was in an arena. I knew it was just a practice one, the games weren't until later. Lurio stood across from me, his friends scattered around. They didn't fight in the games, they weren't strong enough, and besides, Arius was supplying the opponents. I knew he used demons to fight his battles.  
  
Today, however, I was practicing with my brother. He grinned at me, saluting me with his sword. I didn't return the salute. He grinned for a moment, then attacked.  
  
We weren't actually trying to hurt each other, it was just drills, but Lurio thought it would be funny to slash me. His sword drove into my shoulder, going clear though my body. He easily pulled it back as I dropped to the ground, cursing in every language I knew.  
  
Everyone was laughing at me, but I could only glare back, trying not to grimace in pain as my shoulder patched itself up. I healed quickly, and would continue to do so until I absorbed all the memories I could. Normally that meant until we were about twenty. I was fifteen now, just beginning to enter the vault. I was also a slayer, I healed fast.  
  
In minutes I was back on my feet. I dropped the sword I had been using and ran after Lurio. His friends scattered as he started to run, no one wanted me to catch them, and they were all faster than me. I chased after them anyway.  
  
~  
  
I was in a house, in the living room I think. Beside me was the man I recognized as my father. He was mad at me, we were fighting. I got the feeling that this had happened several times before. He wasn't happy with what I was doing. He didn't think I should choose so many human friends. They weren't like us. They were beneath us.  
  
I didn't agree. After all, if it weren't for them we wouldn't be here. We weren't stronger or faster than them, and our healing abilities had nothing to do with us not being human, or at least not for the most part.  
  
This fight was different then the others, though. He wasn't saying he didn't want me to be friends with humans in general, he was saying he didn't want me being with a specific one. He knew we were getting close, too close for his comfort, and he didn't want it.  
  
What was I supposed to tell him? It was too late, I was in love with Dexion. He wouldn't believe it, he would think I was a confused little girl with the thought of romance stuck in my head. I probably wouldn't get to see him anymore. No, I wouldn't tell my father what was going on, he wouldn't understand.  
  
~  
  
A knife flew at my face, I knocked it aside. It was followed by a third and a fourth, all of which I blocked. The crowds were cheering, it was a good fight, the only thing that would make it better would be if one of us got bloody. The demon was thinking the same thing. I had blocked everything he threw at me and he wasn't happy about it. Arius was sending his best after me and they weren't making dents. Normally it bothered me that he had enough rage to spend so much time and effort trying to kill me. Tonight I was happy about it. This was the first of five fights, and I had enough pent up energy to finish them all without a problem. They would steadily get harder, but I was mad enough to deal with it. Anger could do that for you. The demon and I quickly went to hand to hand combat. He was good, but not good enough. I didn't feel like wasting time to please the crowd. I pulled out a short sword and finished the demon off, letting him fall to the ground while catching my breath.  
  
How could this happen? Luraris wasn't supposed to have been there, then again my father always had a knack of showing up at the wrong time. It was my fault, I had said no one would be there, no one would find us, but he had.  
  
We had just been kissing, what was so wrong with that? Apparently everything. He was human. That was the problem. I couldn't fall in love with one of the clan, that was the problem.  
  
Now I wasn't allowed to see him. They couldn't stop me, we were both in the games. What were they going to do, forbid me from those, too? They couldn't. I was a Slayer, it was my job to kill demons. They wouldn't let me go out to search for them, so I would fight them here, were at least they could watch and step in if necessary.  
  
Growling softly I watched the next demon walk in. He was tall, at least three heads taller than me. We all wore masks in the arena, his was of a snake. I wondered if he was a reptile demon or just liked the look. I couldn't tell, every inch of his skin was covered.  
  
He banged his sword and shield to gather, tilting his head back and howling to the crowd. They went wild. He had made the challenge. He stared at me, his weight shifting from one leg to the other. His eyes were covered by a veil but I still could tell he had issued a challenge. "Fight me," he was saying, but he didn't have to say it out loud. Everyone could hear the words.  
  
I stood still, watching him carefully, but never moving. The first demon was still lying at my feet. This one grew impatient. He didn't want to wait. I watched with silent anger as he began walking towards me.  
  
The fight was completely different from the last. I was allowed any weapons I wanted, but my sword wasn't penetrating his skin. Several times he simply picked me up and threw me. Finally I got fed up. He had to have a weak spot, all bad guys did. I abandoned my sword, it was just getting in the way. He held onto his until I tore it out of his hands. I wasn't allowed to remove the mask. That had been put it the rules. My guess was his face was his weak spot.  
  
The monster went to grab me again, preparing to throw me. I pulled out one of my daggers and shoved it into his eyes, or where the eyes in the mask were. The creature screamed, letting go. I stumble to the ground as it fell to its knees. One hard kick shoved his mask in, crushing his face.  
  
"Next," I whispered softly, staring at the door.  
  
~  
  
After the fight. It had taken hours. The first four had been easy but the last wouldn't die. It kept reforming whenever I hurt it. Slowly it had disarmed me of weapons until I had only my stake left. There had been no vampires tonight, no need to use it. I would never have guessed that a stake to the heart would have killed it, but it did. Once again I was the victor, sitting underground below the seating.  
  
I was tired and sore. The anger had faded and left me with a feeling of numbness. Things were wrong and I couldn't stop it. Slowly I rubbed my eyes, I needed a nap. A long nap. Tomorrow I'd go to the vault, in a few weeks I'd be finished with it. Then I could leave if I wanted to. There'd be no obligations to hold me back.  
  
Steps sounded behind me. One of the trainers coming to check on me perhaps. I listened to them stop not far behind me.  
  
Slowly I turned and stared into green eyes. What the. . .  
  
Alucard? ~  
  
Gasping for air I leaned forward, falling to the ground. Where was I this time? Carefully I looked around.  
  
The back yard, Buffy's back yard. I was back in reality. On the ground in front of me was that stupid stone that had crawled into my eye.  
  
When I realized I was shaking I tried to stop, it took too much effort so I gave up. About that time I noticed Giles was holding my shoulders, helping to steady me while he continued to ask if I was all right. Nodding a little too fast I forced myself to sit back.  
  
Then I remembered what had just happened.  
  
Alucard had been there. Way back in the time of ancient Romans. Why I was there was still confusing. Some sort of past life? I didn't believe in those, but I was feeling less sure by the moment. Why was Alucard there? He couldn't be that old. I wasn't sure of exact times, but I think that would make him close to two thousand.  
  
"Fuck," I muttered, causing Giles to look confused.  
  
"Beth, what's wrong?" he asked.  
  
I shook my head again. "Nothing, well. . . I'm not sure."  
  
"Can I help?"  
  
I began to shake my head, but then shrugged. "Maybe. I-I need to talk to- Shit, I don't know. I need time to think about this." Sighing I closed my eyes, squeezing them tight as I tried to piece things together. When I opened them again Giles was still looking down at me, and I noticed it was dark out.  
  
"How long did this take?" I asked.  
  
"I'm not sure, but several hours."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Giles smiled reassuringly at me. "Perhaps we should go inside."  
  
I nodded and he helped me to my feet.  
  
I sat down at the dinning room table where Dawn was working on research. I offered to help, but wasn't getting very far. I had to read things three times before they found their way into my brain. Dawn didn't mention it, neither did Giles when he came in to join us.  
  
About half an hour later Buffy came home. She walked in, followed by Spike and some girl with brown hair that I didn't recognize.  
  
"Whoa! Memory lane. Same old house," The girl said as she looked around.  
  
"Every piece of it's been destroyed and replaced since you left," Buffy pointed out, "so, actually, new house."  
  
Dawn glanced up. "Buffy-" she started.  
  
"We've got another new house guest," Buffy stated.  
  
The girl stepped so we got a better view of her. She looked to be about Buffy's age, young twenties, wearing a lot of leather. Ten bucks said it was Faith.  
  
"Hey. Got a spare bed for a wanted fugitive?" Faith asked.  
  
Giles and Dawn got to their feet, I sat back and watched what was happening. Coolly, but not happily, Giles said, "Hello, Faith."  
  
"Huh. Guess 'wanted' wasn't so accurate," Faith said.  
  
Dawn walked away from the table, towards Buffy. "Does she have to stay here? 'Cause there's some nice hotels that welcome tried-to-kill-your- sister types."  
  
"Check it out," faith said, slightly amused, "brat's all woman-sized."  
  
Buffy ignored both comments. "Guys, we need to go to the hospital. A girl was attacked on her way into town. She maybe a-"  
  
"We know. Willow's been calling," Dawn stated.  
  
"She's still there, she'll call if the girl wakes up," Giles stated. Buffy looked at him coldly. It might have been my imagination but I think there was tension between the two of them.  
  
"Fine," Buffy said, leading way to an uncomfortable silence.  
  
Giles hastily broke it. "Well, Faith. I guess we should try to find a place to squeeze you in tonight." He quickly left, Dawn took the opportunity to leave herself, not pointing out that she'd already made arraignments.  
  
Spike looked at Faith before explaining, "Not all that tension was about you. Giles was part of a plan to kill me for Buffy's own good."  
  
Faith gave him a thoughtful glance before shrugging. "Well, that makes me feel better about me. Worse about Giles," she paused a moment. "Kinda shaky about you."  
  
Buffy was leaving silently, also not particularly wanting to be around Faith. I took it as my opportunity to get aquatinted.  
  
Quietly getting to my feet I walked over to Faith, she noticed me coming. For a moment it was one of those times when you just size up the other person, as if we were about to fight. She examined me for a moment, then deemed me safe, or at least someone who wouldn't be able to hurt her. I decided she was a bad girl Slayer who had the potential to kick the crap out of me. Then again I had the potential to do the same to her. So we were about even.  
  
"Who's this chick?" Faith asked Spike.  
  
Spike grinned for a second, before getting serious. "One of the girls living here, Beth." I noticed he didn't call me a potential, or a Slayer, let Faith think what she will for now.  
  
"So you're Faith," I started, smiling myself. "You're everything I expected you to be."  
  
Faith frowned for a second before returning my meaningless smile. "So how much did Buffy tell you about me? Warn you to be careful and all that crap."  
  
I shook my head. "She actually didn't say much. No one around here did. I just like to keep tabs on current Slayers. One of my old hobbies."  
  
Faith rolled her eyes. "What are you getting at?"  
  
I shrugged. "Nothing really. Just checking out the other Slayer."  
  
She smirked. "Go follow B, she'd love a fan club."  
  
"Actually Andrew tried that, didn't work too well," Spike pointed out.  
  
I examined Faith one last time. She'd figure out who I was sooner or later. It didn't matter. Besides right now I had more important things to deal with.  
  
"Nice chatting and all that, but I've got to see Alucard," I stated. Faith didn't know who Alucard was, but she just shrugged. I turned to Spike. "If you run into Giles tell him I say thanks.  
  
"For what?" Spike asked.  
  
I had already started up the stairs. "Don't worry, he'll know." If Spike had said anything else I hadn't heard.  
  
Entering Dawn's room I made sure Alucard was still there. He hadn't left his chair, but was staring at the window even though the curtains were covering it. He turned to see me as I walked in.  
  
"Hey, Liz. How's life?" He asked somewhat cheerfully.  
  
I didn't answer but sat on the bed. He noticed I was being serious and his manner changed.  
  
"Did something happen?" He asked.  
  
"Kind of," I murmured.  
  
I didn't want to tell him that I had picked up a few new memories. I did want to ask him exactly how old he was and how I knew him from ancient Rome.  
  
"How old are you?" I asked.  
  
Alucard didn't look surprised, but he was curious as to why I was asking. "Why does it matter?"  
  
"Just answer the question," I said, almost pleading. I didn't want to have to fight for the answers, I just wanted to know what was going on.  
  
Alucard wasn't going to cooperate. "I'm over a thousand, you already know that."  
  
I sighed. "Can we be a bit more specific?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Does it matter?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Look, I don't really feel like having a long talk about this, I just need to know," I said.  
  
Alucard shrugged, leaning back. "Sorry, won't help."  
  
I just stared at him for a moment. He meant it. That really sucked. I was too tired to argue about this, and it probably wouldn't matter, anyway.  
  
"Screw it," I muttered angrily.  
  
I grabbed the sleeping bag that was on the bed and threw it on the floor with a pillow. Tonight I was taking the bed, but I didn't want Faith to wake me up for any reason. I went to find the duffle bag that all my clothes were in and quickly went into the bathroom to change into a pair of shorts and a baggy T-shirt. It was late and I was going to bed. I'd deal with Alucard later.  
  
He didn't say anything as I fell asleep.  
  
~  
  
*You weren't supposed to know.*  
  
Know what?  
  
*Everything*  
  
I don't know everything. I just remember pieces.  
  
*You'll learn more.*  
  
So, you're the one who gave me the damn headaches. You're me. You should know I'd look into it.  
  
*It doesn't matter. It's too late.*  
  
Too late for what?  
  
*To stop you*  
  
From what? Quite being decisive and give me an answer!  
  
*You've changed the variables. My memories of you may be affected. You know too much.*  
  
That doesn't tell me anything!  
  
*Ask the vampire.*  
  
~  
  
I was back in the dining room. Chris had come over again, thinking he made a break threw in the book. I was hoping he did. Right now I wanted to know everything I could about the Lerians, and if this book could help then I wanted it translated.  
  
I had spent the last hour listening to Chris explain the writing styles and the patterns he found. He had more or less translated a few passages. From what he could tell it was a book about the future, or as the case might be, about me. He had seen several references to the third Slayer, and it was supposedly in our time.  
  
He was showing me the pages, and how he translated it. This was normal, he always showed me that kind of thing. The odd part was that I understood all of it. He'd show me the words, and I'd be reading them. It was like he was reminding me of a skill I already knew, but had previously forgot. Before long I was reading and discussing at the same level as he was.  
  
Todd sat in a corner watching us as we worked on the book we wrote out translations and then comparing them with each other. More often then naught our ideas would be wrong, and when we discussed why Chris would end up agreeing with mine. Neither of us paid much attention to the fact, but Todd did.  
  
"Have you found the passage about 'she who kills all vampires'?" Todd asked at one point.  
  
I looked up at him to glare, but Chris was flipping through pages. "Yes, it's around here somewhere," he paused at one page, opening the book wide so that we could see it.  
  
I stared at the writing. It looked similar tot he rest of the book, but seemed a little off. Chris went on to point out the particular phrase used and why someone would translate it to me killing all vampires. Technically, as far as I could tell, that's what it said. Yet still something seemed off, and after a moment I got it.  
  
"This is old style writing," I stated. Both Chris and Todd stared at me. "Look," I said, pointing to some of the parts of writing. "They changed the particles and some of the wording. The rules are slightly different, it's old style."  
  
Chris was examining the book closely. "I think you might be right," he started, "but I've never heard of 'old style.'"  
  
Funny, neither have I. "Well. . ." I searched for a way to explain, but I couldn't think of any. "I just sort of. . . remember it."  
  
"From where?" Todd asked.  
  
"I don't know," I stated, being completely honest.  
  
Chris looked at the two of us. He didn't care how I knew it, he was just interested in using the information. "Look, you two argue this out, I'll be trying to see if this changes anything," he said.  
  
"It doesn't," I told him, breaking eye contact with Todd. "I mean, it'll change most of the page, but this line," I pointed to the prophecy, "It doesn't change that."  
  
Chris nodded. "Fine, then maybe it's true." He had agreed with me that it wasn't possible for me to kill all vampires. Which meant I would die.  
  
I stared at the paper for a moment. "It's not. I think the text has been changed by someone. All it would take is to replace one of the words."  
  
Todd was staring very hard at me now, wondering exactly how I knew all this. I didn't know what to tell him so I decided to get out of here. "Hey, I'll be right back. I'm going to get some water." quickly I got up and walked to the kitchen.  
  
"He studied volcanoes. He was a professor," Amanda was saying as I walked into the room. Several potentials were watching her and Andrew closely as Faith worked out in the back yard. I glanced out the window at her while grabbing a cup.  
  
"Ah. Well, regardless," Andrew was saying.  
  
Molly, another potential, stepped in. "Thought you weren't supposed to be doing this any more. Making up these stories."  
  
"I'm not. This is true, except for that. . . possible word misunderstanding. And there are some things you need to know," Andrew insisted as he turns to look out the window. "Faith has a history not to be taken lightly." he turned back to the group. "She's a killer. Never forget that. You must stay on guard around Faith at all times. Your very lives may depend on it."  
  
I finished filling my cup up as I turned to him. "Yeah, that's Faith, evil killer," I said sarcastically.  
  
Andrew turned to me, surprised. "She is!"  
  
"Was," I corrected. "She was. Now she's a good guy. Thank Angel, the other good guy vampire." I told the girls. "You know Andrew, you might want to get all the facts before telling the stories."  
  
"Did you hear that form Buffy?" Amanda wanted to know.  
  
I shook my head and top a gulp of water. "Nah. Heard it from a few vamps at a pub. They were nice fellows." I left that as my parting comment as I walked out of the room. Let them wonder what I meant.  
  
I continued helping the watchers for the rest of the afternoon. Every time Todd asked a question I answered honestly, which meant a lot of I-don't- knows. He kept wondering what I was hiding, which made sense. I hadn't told him about the trip down memory lane.  
  
I heard from Dawn that the new potential at the hospital woke up. Buffy had gone to see what was up. When she came back she called a group meeting. Todd came in with me while Chris was left to pack up.  
  
Buffy started the meeting quickly. "We've got a new player in town. Dresses like a preacher. Calls himself Caleb. Looks like he's working for The First," she stated.  
  
"So he's like. . . The Second?" Dawn asked, Todd and I smirked.  
  
Buffy ignored her comment. She seemed a little angrier than usual, so I didn't say anything. "He's taunting us. Calling us out. Says he has something of mine. Could be another girl. Could be something else. Don't know. Don't care." she paused a moment, dramatically. "I'm tired of talking. I'm tired of training. He's got something of mine? Fine. I'm getting it back." She leveled her gaze, staring at all of us. "And you guys are coming with me."  
  
No one said anything. The girls were as surprised as I was. Most of them left to tell the others, but Buffy, Xander, Willow, Spike, Giles Faith and me all stayed behind to talk.  
  
"Start arming the girls. I want to be ready to move when we find him." Buffy stated.  
  
Willow looked kind of nervous when she pointed out, "We don't even know where we're going."  
  
"That's why I figured a little recon first, see what we can find out," she stated, then asked Faith, "You up for it?"  
  
Faith shrugged. "Point me where you want me."  
  
"But are you certain this is the best course of action?" Giles asked. "You don't even know what this man has of yours, if he in fact has anything."  
  
"It could be a girl. A potential trying to get to us," Buffy stated.  
  
"It could be a stapler," Giles replied.  
  
"I'm going in anyway," Buffy said firmly.  
  
Giles continued to try to make her reconsider. "With the girls? Most of them have yet to be in the field at all, let alone in a life-or-death situation."  
  
"Then it's time we test 'em. We'll just take the ones who've been with us the longest. The rest can stay here."  
  
"Could be that's what he wants you to do. Ol' bait and switch," Spike pointed out.  
  
Willow nodded. "He lures us away, then kills all the girls we leave behind."  
  
"I know," she said, and then to Willow, "That's why I want you to stay with them." Willow didn't look like she quite understood. "You're my most powerful weapon, Will. You can keep these girls safe if something happens."  
  
"Look, maybe we could turn this around," I stated. "If we find out where he is we might be able to draw him out so that we could have a better advantage. We can't meet him at his level. It won't go well."  
  
"We're going in," Buffy insisted. She had a plan and she was sticking with it.  
  
"Unknown man breezes into town, says he has something of yours. . . Buffy, this thing's got "trap" written all over it."  
  
"He won't be expecting a full attack. Not this soon. That's why we have to move."  
  
"We know nothing about this man. We cannot go into battle without preparation. We need time," Giles insisted.  
  
"Giles. We don't have time. And you're not going into battle. I need you to stay behind with the others." She stared at him intently for a second. "Help the girls who still need a teacher."  
  
Ouch. That hurt. Giles didn't say anything as he tried to keep his hurt from showing. It didn't work very well.  
  
"Faith come on," Buffy said, her eyes still on Giles. "Let's go find Caleb."  
  
I watched them leave, worried about what was happening. It was a trap, I was almost positive. One glance at Todd told me he agreed.  
  
"Hey, do me a favor and I'll answer every question you've got," I told him suddenly.  
  
Surprise flashed on his face for a moment before he answered. "What's the favor?"  
  
"Stay here with Willow."  
  
His eyes narrowed for a moment. "Why?"  
  
Because he was my friend and I didn't want to see him get hurt in some trap. What I said was, "Because you can fight and help protect the girls here. Chris can stay if he wants, too."  
  
He stared at me for a long moment, thinking, before finally nodding. "Sure, whatever," then he walked away to help Xander hand out weapons. He didn't seem happy with his decision but that was okay. At least I didn't have to worry about him getting killed.  
  
"Now remember, we're looking for killing blows only, people. So chest and throat if it's a vampire. Stomach, chest and face if it's a bringer," Xander stated as he passed out weapons, Todd was making sure the girls new how to grip them. They had all been training, but it never hurt to make sure.  
  
"What if it's something else?" Rona wanted to know.  
  
Xander nodded. "Could happen. Something otherworldly. And here's a handy rule: don't go for the flashy tentacles just because they're waving them about trying to get attention. Go for the center. Brain, heart, eyes. Everything's got eyes."  
  
"Except the Bringers," Dawn added.  
  
Xander nodded, a little more serious then before. "Except the Bringers."  
  
"I don't want there to be any tentacles," Molly chimed in. "I'm not good with squishy."  
  
Kennedy lifted up a huge sword. "I don't care if it's Godzilla. I want to get in this thing."  
  
Andrew was sitting quietly, but at the mention of Godzilla he had to say something. "Godzilla is mostly Tokyo-based so he's probably a no show."  
  
"Besides, Matthew Broderick can kill Godzilla. How tough is he?" Amanda asked.  
  
Andrew and I both flinched at the same moment. Our gazes met for a moment. I knew he was a geek and very passionate about these things, but I was a bit of a geek too. That comment had to be answered. We both looked to Xander.  
  
"Please yell at her," I pleaded at the same time Andrew said "Xander!"  
  
Xander was calmer, but still annoyed. "Matthew Broderick did not kill Godzilla. He killed a big dumb lizard that was not the real Godzilla."  
  
"You people are even crazier then her," Rona muttered.  
  
"Than who?" Xander asked.  
  
"Buffy, man!" she stated. "I mean, taking us right into the bad guys' lair?"  
  
"Well, that's where, generally speaking, you go to find the bad guy. And I don't think you came here to fight plaque," Xander pointed out.  
  
"No," Rona said evenly, "I came here for protection."  
  
"Well, you signed on to fight with-"  
  
"Look, I know but. . . this plan is trouble. Buffy doesn't care how many of us she puts in danger," Rona said.  
  
Xander almost instantly looked angry. It wasn't that scary, just unexpected. "Let me tell you something about Buffy. In fact you should all listen to this."  
  
"We kinda were," Kennedy murmured.  
  
"I've been through more battles with Buffy then you all can ever imagine. She's stopped everything that's ever come up against her.  
  
"She's laid down her life, literally, to protect the people around her. This girl has died two times and she's still standing. You're scared, that's smart. You've got questions, you should.  
  
"But if you doubt her motives--you think Buffy's all about the kill-- and you take the little bus to battle. I've seen her heart-- and this time not literally-- and I'm telling you right now she cares more about your lives than you will ever know. You gotta trust her. She's earned it."  
  
Wow. That was a long speech. We all just stared at him for a beat. He said it with such passion that it would be hard for anyone to doubt Buffy at this moment.  
  
Or maybe not, I still doubted her. That wasn't a problem, but I thought better of her. She might be taking us all into a trap but at least she had good motives. As stupid as that sounds it wasn't that bad.  
  
"Damn. I never knew you were that cool," I heard Faith say in the background. I turned around to see them both standing in the hallway by the door.  
  
"Well, you've always been a little slow," Buffy said. She looked like she was close to crying. My guess was that they were happy tears.  
  
Faith smiled. "I get that now."  
  
Buffy took a second to compose herself then walked further into the room so that we could see her better. "All right. Let's saddle up."  
  
I didn't take any weapons. Chances were someone would die sooner or latter and I could grab there's. Morbid thought, I know, but honestly I meant the bringers would die. Their daggers weren't half bad.  
  
Buffy and Faith had found the place. It was in a vineyard. She separated us into two groups. She wanted a Slayer in each group so Faith got put in group two. I wondered if Faith knew I was a Slayer yet. It wasn't the time to ask.  
  
They led us through a forest until we stood outside the building.  
  
"Okay, set up a perimeter. Guard the door. I don't want anything getting in behind us. My team goes in first to check the place out. You guys are our safety net. This place is a trap we give the signal, you guys come in guns- ablazing."  
  
"So what's the signal?" Xander asked.  
  
"I'm thinking lots and lots of yelling," Buffy said.  
  
"Got it," Xander said.  
  
Buffy looked at her group, I wasn't in it. "Shall we?" she led them into the vineyard, we all watched them go inside, just waiting in the darkness.  
  
The silence was thick. None of us wanted to say anything, and I was getting bored. "Damn, now I wish I was in the first group," I muttered.  
  
Faith smirked at me. "I'd think a potential would be happy to stay out of danger." She said somewhat sarcastically.  
  
I didn't disagree with her. "Yeah, a potential might," I said.  
  
She frowned for a second. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
I glanced at Xander. "No one's told her yet? God, she spent over a day with Willow."  
  
Faith looked at Xander, too. "Told me what?"  
  
He was about to answer when the signal came. Lots and lots of screaming. Xander cut off our discussion and led us to the door.  
  
We ran into a room of chaos. Buffy was on the ground, dazed, Spike was also on the ground, looking like he had just been thrown into one of the giant jugs of wine. The preacher guy, Caleb, was holding a knife, about to stab Rona. Xander shot him in the arm with an arrow.  
  
Caleb looked up at us, a grin spreading across his face. "Oh, good! There's more of you."  
  
Faith ran strait for Caleb. I tried to follow suit, but the bringer got in the way. There were so many of them swarming us. I was worried that I might hit one of the girls on accident while trying to fight them off. Slowly but surely I made my way to Caleb, the whole time listening to him talk.  
  
Faith hammer-kicked Caleb in the chest, knocking him back a little, but not much. "Why you're the other one, aren't you? The Cain to her Abel. No offense meant to Cain, of course."  
  
Faith slashed again but Caleb moved too fast for her. He grabbed one of her arms, then the other, wrenching them around and causing her to drop the daggers she was holding. She struggled to get loose, but he held tight. Finally with a cry of rage she broke his hold and slammed Caleb in the head with an open-hand blow.  
  
"Never was much for the good book," Faith muttered, throwing another punch at Caleb. He grabbed her arm again and twisted it around, driving her to her knees as he did so. Slowly he circled her, holding her twisted areas he moved.  
  
"Oh, it has its moments. Paul has some good stuff, for instance, but overall I find it a tad complicated," Caleb said. Then he backhanded Faith to the floor, releasing her arm. "I like to keep things simple." He kicked Faith in the chest, sending her across the room. She hit a stack of wine kegs, which shattered, then fell to the ground, dripping with red wine.  
  
I was almost to Caleb, just one or two more Bringers. They kept coming, kept getting in the way. He continued to talk as I kept fighting.  
  
"Good folk, bad folk," He said for all to hear. One of the potentials hit him from behind with her sword, but Caleb reached out and stopped the blade with his hand. Then grabbed the girl's throat. Quickly I killed the bringer, pushing forwards. I was almost there.  
  
"Clean folk, dirty folk." He snapped the girl's neck.  
  
Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!  
  
I heard Molly cry out from somewhere else in the room. "No!"  
  
Caleb grinned. "Yes."  
  
He started across the room towards Molly, also towards me. Quickly I grabbed the Bringer's arm and killed him with his own knife, keeping hold of the knife as he fell to the ground.  
  
I took two steps towards Caleb, then kicked him in the head. "I'm leaning towards no."  
  
Caleb moved back a couple of steps, reorienting himself as he grinned at me. "And who might you be, little lady?" He said as he grabbed my arm. I chose to ignore the 'little lady' comment. Sure it was annoying, but I was more interested in staying alive.  
  
I backhanded him with my free hand, his grip loosened and I pulled my arm free. "Ah, that's not fair. You knew about Faith, I feel insulted." I took a step back and kicked him. He grabbed my leg, twisting me off my feet. I yelped and fell, but caught myself with my hands, turning myself around a little so that I could kick him with my free leg.  
  
"You know, the preacher thing isn't working for you," I stated, pulling my foot free, he let it go more than anything. I had the feeling that if he tried I wouldn't stand a chance. "Maybe if you had a braid and were a lot younger, but hey, bad guys aren't especially known for their fashion taste."  
  
Slowly I got to my feet, he was watching me carefully, but still talked as if there wasn't a problem. "Now what would a braid have to do with being a preacher, miss?" He asked.  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Not a damn thing, but that's not the point. Anime joke," I always hated it when people didn't get my jokes 'cause I made references to something they wouldn't know about. That got annoying  
  
Caleb shrugged, then grabbed my shoulder. He practically swung me around by my shoulder, letting me go as he threw me into the air. I was kind of flying for a bit, then I hit something hard and crumbled.  
  
For the first few seconds I couldn't breath, I could just lie there, and even that hurt. Faintly I heard someone call the retreat by my head was spinning. What had I hit? A wall? How on Earth was he strong enough to do that? He was probably a demon. That would explain it.  
  
Suddenly Spike was there helping me to stand. He quickly led me to the door before going back to help someone else. I glanced at the room before walking out. Caleb was just watching us, grinning. I really wanted to hit him, it wouldn't help.  
  
Molly was lying on the ground. It took me a moment to realize she was dead. I hadn't done anything to help her. He had beaten me up and still killed Molly.  
  
I suddenly felt sick. This was a disaster, a complete disaster. I saw Spike coming back helping Buffy to carry Xander and I left, helping the others back to the house.  
  
~  
  
Xander was at the hospital, his left eye gouged out. Kennedy was there, too, having too many scraps and cuts to come home right away. She'd be back in a couple hours, they were just checking for infection. The girls were scattered around the house scared. Who knew where Buffy was.  
  
As for me, I was sitting on Dawn's bed staring into nothing. I had a few bruises, and I was lucky that was it. Caleb could have killed me. Could have killed all of us, probably. Yet we were alive. Was he letting us go or were we just lucky? I don't know. I wasn't sure I wanted to know.  
  
"You okay?" Alucard asked quietly. I looked up at him, he was still in his chair, looking a little concerned.  
  
I shrugged. "Dunno yet, ask me in the morning."  
  
He nodded, to himself, not to me. "You're not okay." It was a statement. "What happened?"  
  
I shrugged again. "We fought, we lost, it's happened before," I sounded indifferent, detached. I managed that only because I wasn't sure what was wrong. I felt empty, and very scared.  
  
"Who died?" He asked.  
  
I glanced up. "Didn't tell you someone died," I stated.  
  
He shrugged this time. "Yeah, but I know you well enough to know what's going on."  
  
My gaze didn't leave him. "How would you know me that well?" I asked, not entirely caring if he answered.  
  
Alucard was just staring back at me. He was thinking, I wasn't. I was letting my thoughts float away for now. If they came I might have to think about what had happened. "1974." he said at last.  
  
I blinked. "What?"  
  
"You asked how old I was. 1974."  
  
~  
  
Beyond the silence: 'ello, no problem with the last chapter. I'm happy when you review when ever ^.^ As for grammar. yeah, that sucks. I'm working on it, honest. There will be a fight between those two! Don't know when, but there will be one. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Maude: Hey! You read more! *does a happy dance* glad you're liking it and your computers all better.  
  
Sorry I'm writing long chapters, it just kind of happens. So I've decided just to go with it. Next chapter. . . we take off where I left off. ^.^  
  
~Rave Luki 


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14  
  
I think for the first few seconds we just stared at each other. The silence hung on the air, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything.  
  
"What?" I asked again, not sure what else to say.  
  
He grinned at me. "You heard me."  
  
It was true then. He was nearly two-thousand, that would explain him in my memories. It didn't explain my memories, though, but I had the feeling he could answer those questions, too. The question really was, how much would he tell me?  
  
I closed my eyes for a moment, putting my thoughts together before I said anything else. "So. wow." So much for putting thoughts together, but I didn't know what to say.  
  
"Yeah, that's one way of looking at it," Alucard said with grim humor.  
  
I looked at him, I mean really looked at him. He was serious, one hundred percent serious, and at the same time sort of leaned back. He was sure of himself, as if he had nothing to worry about, or maybe he just had nothing to lose.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Why now?" I ask. "Why answer me now?"  
  
He shrugged. "You needed a pick-me-up, I thought this might help," he explained.  
  
"Why would you care?" I couldn't help but ask, I really wanted to know.  
  
Alucard didn't say anything for a moment. He seemed to be thinking as hard and as carefully as I was. "I have a couple of reasons." He stated finally.  
  
"That's not an answer." I stated. He nodded, knowing perfectly well what he wasn't telling me. Sighing I rubbed my eyes. Today had been too long, I didn't need this right now. But at the same time I did. It was either this or face what happened, and I was voting this. "So. is that it?"  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know."  
  
Frowning I looked back up at him. "You don't know?"  
  
He shook his head. "Nope, don't have a clue."  
  
"That's helpful."  
  
"Very."  
  
Again with the silence.  
  
Alucard broke it this time. "Why did you ask my age?" He really wanted to know, that I could tell.  
  
"Got some help remembering a few things," I stated, leaving out a lot. "You happened to be a factor in what I remembered."  
  
He gave me a questioning look while thinking out a reply. "Maybe you should go back a bit. Why were you trying to remember things and what did you remember?" He was clearly searching for information, and I wasn't sure why, but at the moment I didn't care. Right now I needed to know if it mattered that I told him.  
  
Did it matter? Maybe. He was a vampire, technically evil. He was old, making him very strong and very fast, not to mention smart. He knew so much, he had done so much, there was no way I could ever really trust him. But what did that really have to do with this? I knew he was evil the moment I saw him. It hadn't made a difference. He knew something, and I needed to know what it was, if sharing my memories might give me that information, then it was worth it. I had to know what was going on.  
  
"You remember the Prokaryote stone? The thing used to help Spike out awhile ago?" Alucard nodded. "I talked Giles into letting me use it." For a moment I thought Alucard might say something, but then he didn't, and I continued. "You see, I've been having these dreams, and I can't remember them. It's been bugging me. Heck, I still can't remember them, but I know they're important. Any dream that comes with a headache tends to be important.  
  
"But to the point. Giles got out the stone, did the spell, and suddenly I'm seeing things I know nothing about. I'm back in what looks like ancient Rome, sitting around a table were people were eating finger food in togas. Scene after scene comes back to me like it was just a normal memory. I'm seeing a past I didn't know I had, and I still don't know if it's real. I don't really believe in past lives but this is making me wonder."  
  
Alucard nodded, understanding, but still he didn't say anything. I waited, staring at him, in case he might say something, but he didn't, so I continued again.  
  
"So now I'm some chick, a little younger than me, back in Rome. She's not human. She's Lerian," I paused a moment, watching him for reactions, he didn't show an emotion. "Her name's Airaei, she's a slayer, like me. She fights in an arena like a gladiator, and I remember all of it like it was me. Heck, it was me. I could tell, she was almost just like me, just a few things different."  
  
"And where did I come in?" Alucard asked quietly.  
  
I shrugged. "It wasn't important, but right at the end, there had been this big fight. I was behind stage or whatever afterwards, recovering kind of. Then you walked in, I saw your face, and just like that I'm back in reality."  
  
Nodding slowly Alucard considered what I had said. "Well, I don't believe in past lives, either," he stated softly, "but I do know that Airaei was you, or at least partly you."  
  
I blinked. "Okay, and how would that work?"  
  
"I'm not sure exactly what happens, but it's really quite simple," he started. For a moment it looked like he wasn't going to continue, but I glared at him until he kept talking. "Lerians come to this world once every three thousand years or so. They stay for around five hundred years, and are off again. Lerians don't exist the same way we do. They don't have solid forms, so they have to borrow them, in a manor of speaking."  
  
"So they posses them?" I asked.  
  
He shook his head. "No, not like that. You see, the Lerians are basically a bunch of librarians. They seek knowledge, they want to know everything. The problem is they're limited to a certain time period to collect information. To help gather more, and not have to rely on the crappy history we dig up, they borrow the souls, or the essence, of someone. They kind of reach into the future and find a person who will make a huge difference in the world, and then take their essence and form a human out of it. Normally they look similar to the original person."  
  
Okay, did I hear that right? They just snapped someone out of the future? That couldn't be right. "So it's like they travel through time?" I asked, trying to figure this out.  
  
He kind of shook his head and nodded at the same time. "Kind of, but it's more like they remember these people, and then just summon them forth." He paused, searching for the right way to explain. "They have this thing, really not a physical thing, but something they can connect to, a part of their world. They use it to see the memories of everything. A Lerian can go into this place and remember everything in the world he or she is in. The problem is that it's too jumbled, they have to focus, and to do that they use the humans, They focus on the humans' lives and use their memories to add to their information sources."  
  
"That can't be right." I murmured.  
  
He smirked. "Why not?"  
  
"A person with that much information available to them. it's just too much for anyone."  
  
He shrugged. "To a human maybe. But the humans never connected to the memories," Alucard explained. "They left their human bodies, and went into pure Lerian form when they connected to the vault."  
  
I paused a moment. "The vault?" I asked. Something was twitching in my head and I couldn't place why the name sounded familiar. The feeling was similar to the one I had in the prison cell, only stronger.  
  
"Yeah, that's what they called it," Alucard explained. "Why?"  
  
I shook my head, not meeting his eyes. "I-I don't know."  
  
He frowned. "Fine. That's okay."  
  
"So how did you know about all of this?" I asked looking up at him.  
  
For the first time in this conversation he looked uncomfortable. "Well, you told me."  
  
Huh? Oh, wait, he must mean Airaei. "I didn't think the Lerians would want their information gabbed about to just anyone."  
  
Alucard smirked. "True, very true," He flashed me a quick grin., "but you never really cared what the Lerians thought. Quite a trouble you were."  
  
I half grinned back at him. "Yeah, I got the idea, too." A sudden thought came to me. "I had a brother."  
  
Alucard noticeably flinched. "Hoping you wouldn't remember that."  
  
"Yeah, I bet you were." No wonder he had been worried that I'd recognize Lurio's name. "So you killed him?"  
  
Sighing Alucard nodded. "Him and a few other people."  
  
"Yeah, several other people," I agreed with a hint of sarcasm.  
  
"The guy was a jerk, he had it coming," Alucard muttered. I raised an eyebrow. He shrugged. "Soulless vampire rookie, give me a break."  
  
Honestly I wanted to say something very mean and angry, but I couldn't. I didn't even know who Lurio was. So he was my brother, that probably meant something important, but the only memory of him I had was him shoving a sword through my shoulder. Not exactly a reason to love him.  
  
"Whatever, Alucard." I don't think he believed my indifference, if anything he looked nervous about it. "So now what?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean now what? I know you were alive back when I was, er. alive I guess you might say, but that doesn't matter. I know why I remember certain things, but it's only leading to more questions," I explained.  
  
"Would you want the answers if they only confused things more?" He asked.  
  
"Does that mean you'll tell them to me?" I replied.  
  
He shrugged. "Some of them, maybe."  
  
"Where you a vampire when you first met Airaei?" I asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"How did you get to know her?"  
  
"I worked for her family," he replied, zoning out a little, these were easy questions.  
  
"Did you know her dad?"  
  
He rolled his eyes. "I had the misfortune of working for the guy," he muttered.  
  
"So you didn't like him?"  
  
He shook his head. "Not in the slightest."  
  
"Why not?" I asked, really wanting to know.  
  
"Because he believed that humans were weak creatures that existed only to support him with knowledge and give him a life of luxury. He was an ass," Alucard said a little bitterly.  
  
"After all this time you still hold a grudge?"  
  
He looked up at me, surprised. "I didn't say that."  
  
I smirked. "You didn't have to."  
  
Smiling a little he nodded. "Guess you're right, and yeah, it still bugs me."  
  
"What, did he single you out or something?" I asked.  
  
Shrugging he answered, "Something along those lines."  
  
Stopping to think about what to ask next I leaned back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. He had just given me tons of information. I should be happy for every bit but I felt like I was missing something.  
  
"What aren't you telling me?" I said, almost at a whisper.  
  
Alucard didn't answer right away, I didn't look at him to see why. "I'm not telling you a lot of things, Liz."  
  
"Why not?" Stupid question. There was a lot of things he wouldn't want me to know for a lot of different reasons, but it was the question that had to be asked. Anyone with curiosity wouldn't be able to help them self.  
  
Alucard understood that fact, but he was still glaring at me. "It doesn't matter. If you're going to find out you need to find out on your own." Now he sounded angry. Maybe it was something I said.  
  
"Sorry Alucard, didn't mean to pry," I murmured.  
  
He rolled his eyes. "Of course you did." Okay, what could I say? He was right.  
  
This would have led to a very awkward moment with a long awkward silence that neither of us would have bothered to break because neither of us would have known what to say, but instead something happened to fix all that.  
  
Faith walked in.  
  
She glanced at me, then at Alucard, brushing back a long piece of brown hair and looking grumpy. She had just as many bruises as me, and felt just as bad. Seeing her reminded me of why Alucard and I just had our little chat. The preacher dude and his lovely group of bringers. Just the reminder I wanted.  
  
"Hey Beth," she said to me, tired, then glanced at Alucard. "This your pet vamp I keep hearing about?" Alucard frowned, not amused, I merely shrugged. She looked at the two of us again. "Am I interrupting something, cause I don't think the girls would mind me moving downstairs." Wow, that was nice of her to offer that. She was either trying to be a better person, or too hurt to care about it. Guess which one I was betting on.  
  
"Nah, you're fine," I said. "Just talking about the past and other annoying stuff." She shrugged and threw her coat down on a chair. "How're you doing?" I asked, having nothing better to say.  
  
She sighed, shaking her head. "Way past six, and going up."  
  
I blinked, "Huh?"  
  
"Nothing, nevermind," she murmured. Then she looked at me, her eyes narrowing a little. "You took quite a bruising yourself tonight," she stated matter-of-factly.  
  
I nodded slowly, watching her as carefully as she was watching me. "Yeah, it happens sometimes."  
  
"Caleb's pretty tough to take on, I'd think he'd tear your head off," she wasn't even joking.  
  
Alucard looked at booth of us. "You're a Slayer Faith, you could take him. Liz's a Slayer too, why shouldn't she be able to?"  
  
I don't think Faith even blinked, she just sat there. No one told her after all. How could that slip through? You know, it might be a small, unimportant fact, but hey, I was still a Slayer. Big deal here at the end of the world and all. She should have been told. Ah well, she knew now.  
  
"Wait a sec, you?" She asked, looking at me. I nodded indifferently. "How in hell. well, B didn't tell me there was a new Slayer around. Thought I'd have to die to make that happen."  
  
Shrugging I answered. "Might be the case, but things are a little odd about all of this. You might say I'm a unique case. Buffy did die though, so here I am, alive and kicking." I paused for a moment, "No pun intended," I added as an after thought.  
  
"Wait, so you just showed up, a Slayer?" Faith asked, trying to get caught up on this.  
  
Alucard stepped in again. "Not quite, she's been around for, what is it now? One hundred and thirty-nine years I believe." So much for tact, he was just dropping bomb shells.  
  
Fortunately Faith wasn't up to speed, so it wasn't really making sense to her. "Slow down a bit. You're a Slayer," I nodded, "and he's tagging along with you?" she motioned to Alucard and I nodded again, "And those watcher freaks, they're yours? You have four watchers?" I nodded once more. "Shit, how'd that happen?"  
  
I gave her the very short version of me getting cursed, hanging out for a few years, coming back alive, traveling with the watchers and ending up here. I think Faith was a little overwhelmed, but she was quick to deal with it.  
  
"So you're like super Slayer or something?"  
  
"Hardly," I muttered. "I got kicked around as easily as the next Slayer, and Buffy's still the boss."  
  
Faith nodded to that. "Though technically you were a Slayer first," Faith pointed out.  
  
I shrugged. "So what? Like anyone cares. Hell, I don't care. I'm happy were I'm at, or at least I hope I will be. The last thing anyone here needs is bringing them into my problems."  
  
"No kidding," Faith muttered.  
  
We sat quietly for a few minutes. Faith and I had just had a real conversation. If I didn't know any better I'd say she was a nice person, or at least she was when she was completely tired. But we had talked, and that was important. I couldn't help but compare it to the fact that Buffy had never bothered to get to know me. I had the feeling that even though she knew I was a Slayer she thought of me as a potential. That bugged me. Every one kept thinking I was just a little girl. Hell, I was older than al of them, with the exception of Spike, of course.  
  
"Look, you take the bed," I said, getting up to grab a sleeping bag for myself.  
  
Faith glanced at Alucard, "We're leaving him out like this?"  
  
"He was unchained last night, I don't think he bit either of us," I stated.  
  
Faith looked surprised, but not bothered. "So you two a couple or something?" She asked.  
  
I froze for a second, hearing Alucard coughing behind me. Slowly I started moving again, reaching for the sleeping bag that was in the closest a I let my mind actually make sense of what she said. I finally responded by shaking my head, Alucard filled in for me.  
  
"Trust me, Faith, we're not at all a couple. As a matter of fact, you're the first one even to suggest it, and I think she's a little confused to why you might think that," I turned and glared at him, he merely shrugged.  
  
"I'm not confused, just annoyed," I growled, throwing the sleeping bag on the floor.  
  
Faith grinned. "It's okay, Buffy's with a vamp, you can be too."  
  
I turned my glare to her, my eyes narrowing. "I'm not dating Alucard. God, I haven't even thought about it until you brought it up, and trust me, it's not a happy visual."  
  
Alucard chuckled and Faith only grinned. I hated it when people picked on me like this. I felt helpless, there wasn't really anything I could do but glare, and that only made it funnier for them. So instead I unrolled the sleeping bag and grabbed a pillow off the bed. "Laugh all you want, I'm going to sleep," I grumbled as I left the room to change. When I came back the light was already off and Faith was in the bed.  
  
I crawled into my the bag and tried to sleep, but even while I was tired it was hard to relax. Faith and Alucard's taunting annoyed me, but it kept my mind off other things. The problem was I knew I was avoiding thinking about those other things. It was eating me up that I couldn't face the problems. I was scared, and I didn't want to admit it. Clutching the pillow I tried to squeeze my eyes shut and block out all unwanted thoughts. It wasn't working.  
  
"Liz, relax. You have all of tomorrow to stress out," I heard Alucard say.  
  
Blinking in the dark I rolled over and looked towards him, barely being able to make out his figure in the shadows. "What?"  
  
"Relax," he said softly.  
  
It sounded so simple. Sighing I rolled back over. Just relax, it couldn't be that hard. I unclenched my muscles, loosening up. Taking a deep breath I tried to relax, just letting myself go. Alucard was right. I could deal with this tomorrow.  
  
~  
  
*You still don't remember.* Airaei sounded disappointed.  
  
It's your fault, you won't let me.  
  
*You have to do it for yourself, make yourself remember.*  
  
I shrugged in the nothingness, getting fed up with my other self.  
  
Look, it's not my fault. I tired, remember? I tried and you got mad at me.  
  
*If you had not tried you wouldn't be in this mess.*  
  
What mess? Tell me, what mess have I gotten myself into? I don't see it. With all our memories I don't see how what I did was wrong.  
  
*You fool! You're but a human, of course you don't see.*  
  
My god, you're as bad as your father, no wonder Alucard hates him.  
  
*You know nothing about this so called 'Alucard'* she snapped.  
  
No? I know nothing? I know he wouldn't be arguing with himself like this. Let me out of here!  
  
*You have to remember.*  
  
Shut up already.  
  
*I can force you to, you don't want that.*  
  
I don't care, leave me alone.  
  
*I can open doors you've never crossed, show you things that would drive you mad.*  
  
Quit with the cryptic. You might be the strong protector where you're from, but here on Earth you're not that hot. If you're not going to be helpful then what're you bugging me for?  
  
Airaei was silent for a moment. *You're going to ruin everything.*  
  
I smirked.  
  
That's what we Slayers do. We're here to disrupt and cause disorder.  
  
*No, you're here to fix things.*  
  
And is that what you did? Fix things? If I remember correctly you were more interested in a certain love life. Weren't you Airaei?  
  
*You know nothing about that.*  
  
I was you, remember? I know what you know. I remember what you remember.  
  
*You don't want to look there.*  
  
Why not? What could you possibly remember that would create such proble-  
  
For a moment we were both silent, memories washed through me, from both times.  
  
Oh. I see.  
  
~  
  
I woke up in the middle of the night, my head aching. Something was wrong, and I didn't know what. I had to remember it. I had to know what was happening. Right now though, I was more interested in something to calm my pounding head.  
  
~  
  
Swoosh! Check out my short chapter! But let's skip to the thanks:  
  
Maude: Hey! Wow, you reviewed quickly, that's a first. (no offense or anything ^.^) actually I lost your e-mail 'cause a certain someone ripped it up ::glares at you know who:: anywho, thanks a ton!  
  
Beyond the Silence: Glad you liked it ^.^ yeah, spelling sucks, and I haven't really checked this chapter. O.o finished writing it 'bout five minutes ago, so let's just go with what I have. I can correct it later. Thanks for the review! Much appreciated.  
  
~Rave 


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15  
  
I stretched my neck as the water pelted down on me. The only place you could ever be alone in this house was in the bathroom, and then you had to wait half a day to get through the line. After awhile you stop standing in line and just jump in whenever there was an opening.  
  
Today the line was almost non existent. All the girls were huddled around, scared and depressed. It was depressing just to watch them. A few people die and everyone goes all quiet and shy, even Kennedy hadn't been talkative.  
  
For the most part I was over the whole us getting our asses kicked thing. Yes it was a problem, and yes we had to deal with it, but I couldn't sit around letting myself focus on the crap that was getting in our way. There were too many problems to look into just one, and if you keep a wider view things got easier, sort of.  
  
I hadn't really talked to anyone about anything important. Spike and I talked about music and TV for awhile to kill time, but that was about it. Faith had gone around, just chatting with the girls, trying to raise their spirits in her own way.  
  
The water started to turn cold so I turned it off. Quickly drying off I stepped out of the tub and got dressed. Today in blue jeans and a green T- shirt with a blue sweat shirt. Looking for socks I frowned. I had left them in the room. To avoid going back for them I threw on a pair of flip flops.  
  
I wasn't avoiding Alucard, I just didn't want to talk to him. I went into Dawn's room as little as possible, and he never left it. It made it easy to stay away. I ran a brush through my hair on the way out of the bathroom. I jogged down stairs to see Faith and Giles talking over a picture.  
  
"What's up guys?" I asked, walking to where I could stare over their shoulders. It looked like a picture of a church.  
  
Giles stepped back, giving me a clearer look. "We think Caleb has something to do with this, see that knot hole?" I looked closely and nodded. "If you look carefully you can see it's a mark, Caleb's mark." Frowning I stared at it again.  
  
"You're right, it is." I stepped back to think. "So is someone going to check it out?" I asked.  
  
"Spike's already on it. He took Andrew with him," Giles stated.  
  
I raised an eyebrow. "Spike and Andrew? How's that going to work?"  
  
Faith grinned. "It should be interesting, no doubt." I nodded my agreement. If Spike didn't kill Andrew then I'm sure it would make a funny story. "Hey, you coming?" Faith asked.  
  
"Coming where?" I didn't know people were going anywhere.  
  
"To the Bronze, I'm taking the girls out," Faith stated.  
  
Oh, the bronze. "Huh, well, as long as you promise that no vamps will kidnap me," I stated with a smile.  
  
Faith looked confused for a second. "Okay, I don't get it."  
  
"When I took the girls to the Bronze I ran into an old vampire I knew. Things didn't go well," I stated.  
  
"You went to the Bronze?" Giles asked.  
  
I turned to him. "Yeah, awhile ago. Kennedy got Buffy to say it was okay. . ." They still looked clueless. "okay, I think someone forgot to tell you."  
  
Giles set the picture down. "I don't think Buffy would have let you all go to the Bronze," Giles stated.  
  
"She had been in a hurry and. . . Kennedy never said exactly where we were going. . ." I murmured. "I have the feeling that Buffy doesn't know we were at the Bronze either."  
  
Faith shrugged. "Well, whatever happened, we're going out again. Do me a favor and make sure all the girls know, will ya?"  
  
I shrugged. "Why not."  
  
I went back to the stairs. Chances were everyone downstairs would know. I took three steps up the stairs and stopped. Alucard was standing at the top.  
  
"What're you doing out here?" I asked, surprised.  
  
Alucard grinned at me and started walking downstairs. "Well, a certain Slayer said she'd get me something to drink, around an hour ago," He stated with a look to Faith. "She never came back so I figured I'd grab something myself."  
  
"I planned on getting you something," Faith stated, "then I got hungry." She shrugged.  
  
Alucard shrugged too. "That's fine, gave me an excuse to get up." He walked past me. "don't mind me, I'll be in the kitchen."  
  
He hadn't ignored me, but he hadn't really paid attention to me. That was annoying. Though I had been doing the same thing to him. Poetic justice for you, never did like that.  
  
Shaking my head I continued up the stairs. It didn't take long to check on all the girls. I told them they had five minutes to get downstairs or we were leaving without them. I went back downstairs in time to hear the door ring. When I opened the door Todd walked in before saying hello. He glanced around the house then grinned at me.  
  
"Hey, good news," Todd said, grinning.  
  
"Good news for me or for you?" I asked cautiously.  
  
His grin grew. "For me."  
  
Now I frowned. "Okay, what's up?"  
  
"You owe me some answers."  
  
I frowned, not sure what he was talking about, then I remembered. I had promised him I'd tell him anything he wanted to know. Stupid me, very stupid me. But hey, the bringers hadn't gotten the chance to kill him, so maybe not that stupid of me.  
  
"Well, I'm going to the Bronze now, so can I get a rain check?" I asked.  
  
He smirked. "No such luck, I'll just tag along."  
  
I glared at him and girls started to show up. Faith and Alucard walked out of the kitchen together, talking. Faith caught my eye, grabbing my attention.  
  
"Hey, Beth, how'd you feel if you pet here tagged along?" she asked. Alucard twitched and my frown deepened.  
  
"He's not my pet, and I don't care what he does," I stated. "Todd's coming, too."  
  
Faith shrugged. "Whatever, let's head out."  
  
Thirty girls took up a lot of space, and trailed back pretty far on a sidewalk, but the town was mostly deserted so it wasn't bothering anyone. Alucard was lost somewhere in the crowd, I was in the front with Todd. We talked about the weather, what TV shows we watched... you know, all the stuff that didn't matter.  
  
The bronze actually had a band playing, and people partying. While most were leaving the city there were also the few who stayed back watching the action. I gave it another few days and they'd be gone. The girls fanned out, dancing and drinking. Todd and I grabbed a table off to the side.  
  
"So?" I started, wanting to know were the conversation would be going.  
  
Todd shrugged. "Yeah, that's a good question. Why don't we start with how you could read that book."  
  
"That day I had gotten Giles to cast a spell to help me remember these dreams I've been having, I didn't remember the dreams, but I got glimpses back to what's kind of a past life of mine. Kind of," I stated.  
  
At some point Todd most have stopped being surprised at me, because he just nodded, as if I wasn't saying something weird. "So, a past life? Explain that."  
  
I sighed, not sure how to. "Well you see. . . I was kind of a Lerian and. . ."  
  
"A Lerian?" he asked, sounding interested.  
  
I shrugged. "It's really a long story."  
  
"Is this seat taken?" I looked up to see Alucard watching us.  
  
Glancing at Todd I shook my head. "Go ahead and take it." Alucard did. Thinking for a moment I came up with an idea. "Hey Alucard, do me a favor. Todd wants to know about the past life thing, I'm not sure how to explain it."  
  
Alucard glanced at Todd, looking almost amused. "Well, I told you already that it wasn't a past life," he murmured. Todd just stared at him, waiting for the explanation. "What do you know about Lerians, Todd?"  
  
Todd was frowning, I don't think he liked Alucard much. I'm sure he didn't like Alucard when he was being difficult. Unfortunately Alucard normally was difficult, so you just had to put up with it. After awhile if you stopped being annoyed he stopped trying to annoy you. Most people didn't get that.  
  
"Just about nothing," Todd answered. "You should ask Chris, he'd have an answer for you."  
  
Alucard smirked, shaking his head. "Chris knows books, he doesn't know anything about the actual race."  
  
Todd shrugged. "Well, I guess that's what you're here for, right?"  
  
Alucard shrugged. "Something like that."  
  
"So why don't you just explain things and then you can just shut up," Todd said.  
  
Alucard rolled his eyes, but he got to the point. "Think about it this way. When this world was made, so were we, every person. We all exist somewhere, even those who are dead or not born. We're wherever that place is, we live, then we die and go back there. The Lerians can reach into that place and pull out a soul of someone from the future, than use that soul to support themselves in this world. Making sense so far?" Todd nodded. "While it takes place in the past, it's not really the same concept as a past life, since Liz was here first. It's more of an added life, an addition to what she is."  
  
Todd nodded. "So, in this additional life, you were a Lerian?" He asked me.  
  
I bit my lip, trying to form an answer. "Basically, a human Lerian. I actually wasn't really there, my essence was, but I hadn't really been created yet. I had no identity. Airaei was there, that's the other me, what I was called then. It was her thoughts and feeling that controlled things."  
  
He nodded again. "Wow, that made since. How weird is that?" He said with a small smile. "And you got her memories?" he added.  
  
"Some, a small amount," I said, "but at the same time I picked up on a few different things, like I think I can read the language. If someone were to start talking in it I'd understand."  
  
"Read the book yet?" Alucard asked.  
  
I shook my head. "No, not yet. I got it back from Chris, but I still need to look it over."  
  
"Maybe that would help with understanding things," Alucard stated. I shrugged. Maybe it would, maybe it would make things more confusing. Who knew?  
  
"So, you're Lerian? Okay, that kind of makes sense. Leaves a lot of gaps, but makes sense. It at least explains how you could read better than Chris," Todd stated. "How does Alucard know all of this though?"  
  
Big sigh, literally. This would be why I try not to make "I'll answer any questions you've got" promises. "Um. he was around back then," I stated.  
  
Todd nodded slowly. "Right, that's nice. When was 'back then'?" he asked.  
  
"Somewhere around the year 40," Alucard said bluntly, not seeming to mind the question at all.  
  
Todd seemed a little confused. "40? What 40? I mean, which century?"  
  
Alucard shrugged. "That's it. The year 40. As in about the time Jesus was 40."  
  
"two thousand years ago?" he didn't sound like he believed it.  
  
"Yep. That's the year," Alucard stated.  
  
Confusion was gone, now Todd just looked surprised. I understood the feeling. You didn't meet a two thousand year old vampire every day. He looked at me for confirmation, I just nodded. It was true, and now he knew. Next question?  
  
"Okay," Todd said slowly, thinking about it. "And he knew you? Or I guess I should ask if he knew Airaei? That was her name, right?"  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, that's her name, and he knew her."  
  
"From where?" Todd asked. I looked to Alucard for this one, not knowing the answer.  
  
"We fought a few times. It was nothing big," he stated, as if it were nothing.  
  
Todd didn't seem to think it was nothing. "Fought? Define fought."  
  
"She was basically the equivalent to a gladiator, just more of a noble. She was a Slayer, she fought in what was called 'the games' and she was basically the best fighter there. I was human, sometimes I was paired against her. Obviously not to the death cause here I am," he explained. It would make sense, seeing how I remembered seeing him at the arena, but I still thought he was leaving something out. I wasn't going to say that in front of Todd though. I didn't think Alucard would explain with my watcher listening to our every word.  
  
Biting my lip I held back the questions as Todd asked Alucard the technicalities. With a sigh I decided to get something to drink. "Guys, I'm going to grab a soda, I'll be right back," I said as I got to my feet.  
  
"Oh no you don't," Alucard said just as quickly, standing up at the same time. "You're not leaving me here so that he can pick my brain. These questions are for you, you answer them. I'll get you something." And he left before I could debate the issue. I glared after him, but sat back down.  
  
Then came more questions, Todd not letting me distract him. Mostly about what had happened, what exactly I remembered, what I thought the dreams were, the stuff that I'd spent plenty of time thinking about already. Soon Alucard was back with the drinks, he had brought one for Todd, too. I took a sip and realized it wasn't a soda, or at least not just a soda. I didn't ask about it, but I knew I was drinking something alcoholic. Maybe he figured I could use something to help with the endless questions.  
  
And then it ended! Todd leaned back to contemplate everything he had just learned. We all sat back in our chairs and listened to the music, I got up to get another drink and watched the girls dancing and playing pool. They were laughing and having fun, not a frown in the place. You'd hardly recognize them as the depressed people who had been at the house.  
  
I brought my drink back to the table and decided to start a new conversation.  
  
"So. Who thinks the world will end?" I asked spontaneously. It was the first thing that came to mind.  
  
Both the guys turned to me, somewhat surprised. Alucard spoke first. "I think that Buffy has a good chance of getting her ass handed to her on a platter," he said bluntly.  
  
Todd glared at him, shaking his head. "No, we're going to win this. The first can't even take shape, and an army of vampires aren't going to stop us."  
  
"How about an army of Umber vampires?" Alucard taunted.  
  
"We'll find away around them."  
  
"Uh-huh," Alucard murmured, not believing.  
  
"Personally I think Buffy and the Slayeretts will stop the first and its army, but we might not save the world," I said, mixing both of their ideas.  
  
"How will that work?" Todd asked.  
  
I shrugged. "How should I know? Maybe there's some other evil no one's paying attention to who plans on destroying all life on Earth, or all life all together. Who can say?"  
  
Nodding Alucard answered, "could happen. Maybe someone's waitin' nearby to turn us all into turtles."  
  
I grinned. "Or ladybugs. That would really suck, being a ladybug."  
  
"I don't really like ladybugs," Todd murmured. "How 'bout they turn us into. penguins?"  
  
"But penguins are cool. Why would the big bad turn us into something cool?" I asked.  
  
Todd shrugged. "Because he didn't want to go around seeing ladybugs?"  
  
"Okay, how'd the topic switch from the end of the world to ladybugs?" Alucard wondered.  
  
I couldn't help but giggle. Then I stopped myself. Was I giggling? Yep. Weird, didn't really do that much. I took another sip of whatever I was drinking and leaned back.  
  
"You okay Beth?" Todd asked, examining me.  
  
I shrugged and Alucard answered, "I think she's getting drunk."  
  
"I'm not drunk," I stated, glaring at him.  
  
Grinning he answered, "You've had two cups of that, not much for some people, but you always did get drunk easily."  
  
My eyes narrowed. "I'm not drunk."  
  
"Can you walk in a strait line?" Todd asked.  
  
My glare shifted to him. "Is that one of the tests?"  
  
"I don't know, I just thought that a drunk person might have a hard time doing it," he replied.  
  
Shaking my head I continued with my point. "I'm not drunk."  
  
"Fine, you're not drunk," Alucard gave in, "but I think some of the other girls are."  
  
I looked around the club again. The girls were enjoying themselves, most looked sober, but there were a few holding plastic cups that seemed maybe a little out of it. "We'll just blame it on Faith," I stated.  
  
"I'm surprised Buffy let them all go out," Todd stated.  
  
"They went with me," I pointed out.  
  
Alucard chuckled. "She never found out, though. She thought you were just taking them to a movie or a park or something for an hour or so."  
  
"Kennedy said she asked Buffy. . . crap." He kept laughing. I glared. He laughed harder. "Fine, but it turned out okay."  
  
"For them. You got kid napped by Zeke," Todd pointed out. He knew that part of the story. I glared at both of them. "And this time you're getting drunk," he added with a smile of his own.  
  
Grumbling I looked away. I wasn't drunk. I didn't feel drunk. I felt fine, happy even. Things were going fine. Too fine almost. I half expected a swarm of vampires to invade just to stop things from going well. Next best thing happened, the police showed up.  
  
They walked strait over to Faith, who was dancing with several guys, and started talking to her. I couldn't hear what they were saying, being on the other side of the club, but I figured Faith could probably take care of herself. Then again the cops were carrying major artillery, she might have a problem. I didn't get up though.  
  
Next thing I knew Faith was being dragged to the door. Some of the potentials, and Dawn, follow them, but a police man blocked their way out. They talked, Dawn glaring at them defiantly, then Dawn turned towards the counter. She started to walk away and the police guy fired his shotgun at the ceiling. A light fixture crashed down and everyone in the club dropped to the floor. Except of course for the potentials and Dawn near the police guy, and Alucard, Todd and me.  
  
I stood up, ready to walk over and help them, but Todd grabbed my arm. "Don't worry, they're be okay. They need a fight they can win, Beth, just sit down and watch what happens."  
  
"You sure?" I asked, not being sure myself. Todd nodded and I took my seat.  
  
The three of us watched what was going on. The moment the police man was distracted Kennedy grabbed his gun then slammed the butt of it into the cop's head. He reeled backwards, grabbing for her but he came up short as she flipped the gun around and cocked it, the barrel inches from his face. He hesitated for a moment, then knocked the gun away. His victory was short- lived, though, as Amanda came up beside him and knocks him over the head with a broom handle. He falls, stunned for a second, then tries to crawl away. The potentials were on him, though, and then running out the door to help Faith.  
  
"I guess that went well," I murmured.  
  
"It'll make them feel better," Todd said.  
  
"Maybe we should join them outside?" Alucard suggested. I nodded and we stood up, walking to the door.  
  
We got outside about the time the cops were finished. We watched for a second, taking in the scene. The potentials looked happy. They had partied, they had fought, and most importantly they had won. Never hurts to have an ego boost when you're feeling low.  
  
Then something happens to screw it up. In this case it would be Buffy. "Faith! What are you doing?" Buffy asked, her voice calm but angry as she walked up to us.  
  
Faith glanced at her and the potentials began to back off a little. "Just blowing off steam. Well, it started that way. Turned when the cops went evil on us." Any girl that remained in the club came outside, gathering around Faith and Buffy.  
  
Buffy carefully controlled her anger. "Girls, go home. I need to talk to Faith for a minute."  
  
"Buffy, we weren't-" Dawn started.  
  
Buffy cut her off. "Dawn, you too. Go."  
  
I nudged the guys and we were off, along with the rest of the girls who's spirits had suddenly dropped again.  
  
"Don't suppose she noticed me up and about?" Alucard murmured as he glanced back at the two Slayers who stayed behind.  
  
"Let's hope not, she'd have a cow," I muttered.  
  
Todd nodded. "True. Let's just pretend he was never here, how does that sound?"  
  
"Peachy."  
  
The rest of the trip home was in silence as we followed the girls.  
  
Inside the house everyone went to work. Giles had told us that Xander was coming home and everyone wanted it to be a good occasion. The girls made a big sign and Alucard actually helped them hang it up. No one cared anymore that he wasn't really a part of the group. If he noticed you couldn't tell.  
  
As for myself, I was feeling a little nauseous. I climbed the stairs and went into Dawn's room to lay down for a bit, Todd came up after me. He knocked on the half open door then came in without waiting for my comment.  
  
"You okay? You're looking a little green," he said, checking up on me.  
  
I glared at him. "I'm not green."  
  
"But are you okay?"  
  
The glare was continuing. He had to ask that. I growled softly and rolled over. "No," I admitted sourly. I didn't want to feel sick, but it was happening.  
  
"Maybe you are a little drunk?"  
  
"I'm fine now," I stated.  
  
He walked around the bed and shrugged. "Maybe. I'm going with Alucard on this one though. If he says you can't hold your alcohol. . . well, he's known you longer than me."  
  
And still I glared. "Look, I'm not drunk. I kept my head and everything. I haven't gotten violent, or done anything really stupid."  
  
"And yet you had a conversation about ladybugs and penguins."  
  
Okay, that wasn't fair. I had been really bored. "Doesn't count," I muttered.  
  
He smirked. "Why's that?"  
  
"Alucard started it."  
  
Chuckling, Todd helped me sit up. "Fine, but Xander's going to be home soon and it'll be awkward if you're not one of the many people welcoming him home. I'm sure someone will notice that Slayer number three isn't there."  
  
Nodding I got to my feet and we went back downstairs to join the gathering crowd of girls in the living room. All seats were taken so I stood in the back with Todd. Alucard joined us a few minutes later.  
  
A few moments later Buffy and Willow escort Xander in, with Anya not far behind. A big bandage rested over Xander's left eye. Faith and Wood come in after them, closing the door behind them. Xander was led into the living room, and then he just froze for a second.  
  
"Oh, god. . ." he murmured, touched. If he was a girl he would have cried.  
  
"We didn't have time to do more," Kennedy stated, "you have to pretend there's a big party here."  
  
Dawn walked up and wrapped her arms around Xander in a tight hug.  
  
"That's fine," Xander said, trying to soften the mood. "Parties in this house, I usually end up having to rebuild something."  
  
Buffy walked in behind him with a tight smile. "Welcome home, Xander. I wanted you to be here for this. I think you'll be interested in what I found out."  
  
Willow turned to her. "What did you find out?"  
  
Buffy went strait to the point. "It's about the cellar. Look, I know that night wasn't fun for any of us. . . but I figured some things out about that place and I realize now what we have to do. We're going back in."  
  
Stunned silence greeted that remark. No one knew what to say. I was left gapping with the rest. Why would she want to go back in? Hadn't Caleb just beat us up? Sure, we could go back in and a few more people would die, but what for?  
  
"Look, I know what you're thinking but I had a visit at the school today from Caleb," Buffy said.  
  
Dawn instantly looked concerned. "Buffy, why didn't you-"  
  
"I'm fine. I mean, it wasn't fun but I'm fine. I'm better than fine. I figured something out. He kept making all this noise about the school," Buffy continued.  
  
"Is it the seal again?" Wood asked.  
  
Willow added, "Do we need to try shutting it again?"  
  
"No, that's just it," Buffy insisted. "We've spent all this time worrying about the seal and the Hellmouth. Why isn't Caleb guarding them? Why doesn't he have someone there protecting it? Why is he camped out at the vineyard? The bad guys always go where the power is. So if the seal was so important to Caleb and The First, they would be there right now. They're protecting the vineyard. Or something at the vineyard. I say it's their power and I say it's time we go in and take it away from them."  
  
"Or, in the alternative, how about we don't?" Faith suggested. "I mean, it's a neat theory, B, but I'm not going back in that place, not without proof, and neither should you and neither should they."  
  
"I'm not saying it's going to be easy," Buffy said.  
  
Wood jumped in before she could say anything else. "I think Faith had the floor.  
  
"Maybe it ends okay the way you want to play it but maybe it doesn't and right now, I don't think I want you playing the odds," Faith stated, sure of herself.  
  
"Did you come here to fight?" Buffy asked pointedly.  
  
Faith went on, "Listen, we're fighters, all of us, but you gotta give me something to fight. Something real, not-"  
  
"Windmills?" Giles filled in for her.  
  
"There is something there," Buffy insisted.  
  
"Maybe. . . but we can't be sure of that. This is a hell of a lot to ask," Giles stated.  
  
"Too much," Wood agreed.  
  
Buffy wasn't use to people questioning her decisions. She looked around, confused and seeking support. I wasn't sure who to side with. I half agreed with Buffy, but I also thought she was rushing into this. We need to plan it out, research it, or do something before jumping in blindly. It wouldn't work doing it her way. At least it wouldn't work well.  
  
"I don't understand this. For seven years I've kept us safe by doing this-exactly this-making the hard decisions. And now what? Suddenly you're all acting like you can't trust me?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Didn't you say to me today you can't trust us?" Giles pointed out. "Maybe there's something there that should be addressed."  
  
"Is that why you sent Spike away? To ambush me?" Buffy snapped.  
  
"Oh, come on," Giles said.  
  
"You know what? I am sick of your deal with this Spike guy. This isn't about him. This is about you. You're being reckless," Rona said, pulling away from the other potentials and taking a stand.  
  
Buffy frowned at her, looking surprised again. "What?"  
  
"You are. I don't even know you and I can tell. You are so obsessed with beating Caleb, you are willing to jump into any plan without thinking.  
  
Buffy almost glared at her, but kept her cool enough not to. "That's not what I'm doing."  
  
Kennedy stood up to face Buffy. "Well, that's how it feels to us. People are dying."  
  
"Kennedy. . ." Willow murmured softly.  
  
"Why are you always standing up for her?" Kennedy snapped, annoyed.  
  
"I'm not," Willow says, then looked away, not wanting to look at Buffy. She said it like it was hurting her, like her emotions were jumbled on the fact.  
  
"What do you mean, you're not?" Buffy asked, just as confused, and almost scared.  
  
"With everything that's happened. . .I'm worried about your judgment," Willow stated, growing slightly more sure of herself.  
  
"Look, I wish this could be a democracy. I really do. Democracies don't win battles. It's a hard truth but there has to be a single voice. You need someone to issue orders and be reckless sometimes and not take your feelings into account. You need someone to lead you," Buffy stated, insisting on the point.  
  
"And it's automatically you." Anya stated, drawing everyone's attention. "you really do think you're better than we are."  
  
Buffy was taken aback, again. "No, I-"  
  
"But we don't know. We don't know if you're actually better. I mean, you came into the world with certain advantages, sure. I mean, that's the legacy. But you didn't earn it. You didn't work for it. You've never had anybody come up to you and say you deserve these things more than anyone else. They were just handed to you. So that doesn't make you better than us. It makes you luckier than us."  
  
"I've gotten us this far," Buffy stated, trying to sound in control.  
  
"But not without a price," Xander pointed out, tearing down Buffy's resolve.  
  
"Xander-"  
  
"I'm trying to see your point here, Buff. . . but I guess it must be a little bit to my left because I just don't."  
  
"Look, I'm willing to talk strategy, okay, I'll hear suggestions on how to break this down but this is the plan. We have to be together on this or we will fail again," Buffy didn't turn from her decision.  
  
"We are clearly demonstrating that we are not together on this!" Giles said angrily.  
  
"Which is why you have to fall in line! I'm still in charge here," Buffy pointed out, just as angry.  
  
"Why is that, exactly?" Rona asked.  
  
Buffy glared at her. "Because I'm the Slayer."  
  
"And isn't Faith a Slayer, too? And Beth? They're both Slayers. Just like you," Rona continued.  
  
Faith's head snapped up, about the same time mine did, we were both caught off guard.  
  
"What? Whoa. . . so not what I meant," Faith stated. "I'm not "in charge" chick. I think B here just needs to chill out for a little bit, take a siesta or something. But I'm not the one you want."  
  
Some eyes turned to me. "Hey, I'm worse than she is! Worse than both of them. Besides, while Buffy's been giving orders Faith's been keeping us together, not me." That got me a glare from Buffy and a confused look from Faith.  
  
"Maybe we need a vote. . ." Kennedy said, stepping back up, "to see who wants Faith to have a turn in charge."  
  
"No," Buffy said.  
  
"No what?" Kennedy asked.  
  
"No. you don't get to vote until I've had my chance to pal around. You know, get everybody drunk. See, I didn't get that this was a popularity contest. I should have equal time to bake them cookies, braid their hair-"  
  
"Learn their names?" Faith suggested.  
  
Sneering Buffy turned to her. "You're just loving this, aren't you?  
  
"You have no idea what I'm feeling," Faith said, holding her own.  
  
"Come in here, take everything that I have. You did it before. Did you tell them that? Did you tell them how you used to kill people for fun? Hey, you guys think that's nifty?"  
  
"Buffy, that's enough!" Giles demanded, and she stopped.  
  
Faith took her turn to talk. "I didn't come here to take anything away from you but I'm not going to be your little lapdog, either. I came here to beat the other guy, to do right, however it works. I don't know if I can lead but the real question is. . . can you follow?"  
  
"So we vote," Wood said, making it final.  
  
"Wait. Guys. . ." Buffy looked around, losing her confidence and letting the fact that she was desperate show. No one was giving her support. I didn't know if I should. I agreed that she was probably right about the vineyard, but I also agreed that she was being reckless. I might be able to talk Faith into checking out the vineyard later, who knew?  
  
"I can't watch you just throw away everything. I know I'm right about this. I just need a little. . . I can't stay here and watch her lead you into some disaster," Buffy stated, trying to get someone to see things her way.  
  
Dawn stood up and walked over to her. "Then you can't stay here. Buffy, I love you but you were right. We have to be together on this. You can't be a part of it. . . so I need you to leave. I'm sorry but this is my house too."  
  
Anyone in the room who wasn't speechless before was now. I could understand Kennedy and Rona, even Xander and Giles, but I never expected even Dawn to stand against her. Buffy was too shocked to say anything. She stared at us all for a long moment, holding her chin high and holding back tears. Then she turned and walked out the door.  
  
We all watched silently for a moment, then Rona said almost happily "Ding dong, the witch is dead."  
  
Down turned on her with a murderous glare. "Shut your mouth!"  
  
We all just stared for a moment, most people not even noticing Faith follow Buffy out. After a few minutes things started to break up, the potentials went their own way. Dawn, Xander, Willow and Giles just sat quietly, all of them still in shock with what just happened. Todd bid me good night and left soon after, probably to tell the other watchers what had happened. Alucard waited for me to go upstairs, then he followed.  
  
At the top of the stairs the nausea came back and I ran for the bathroom. Luckily no one was in it for a change and I was able to go right in. I threw up in the toilet then sat back, grabbing some toilet paper to wipe my mouth as I stared at nothing. Damn it, I wasn't suppose to get sick. At least Todd had left before he had a chance to tease me about it.  
  
Sighing tried to stand up, then stumbled. Growling to myself I got back on my feet, and someone grabbed my arm to help support me. I wasn't surprised to look up and see Alucard. He silently watched me as I rinsed out my mouth. When I finished I turned to him.  
  
"What? No sarcastic remark?" I asked, looking for something to lighten the mood.  
  
Alucard shrugged. "Told you so?" he said helpfully.  
  
I shook my head and walked out of the bathroom. He followed me into Dawn's room. "We're going to have to give Dawn her room back soon," I murmured as we walked in. Alucard nodded, but didn't say anything.  
  
I sat on the bed, rubbing my eyes. "Tired?" he asked softly. I shrugged.  
  
Easily I kicked off my flip flops and flopped back onto the bed. "My head hurts," I muttered.  
  
He chuckled. "Yeah, that can happen."  
  
"I thought hangovers came in the morning," I muttered.  
  
"Would you believe it if I said I thought you were actually sick?" he asked.  
  
Huh, good question. "Why would you say that? I thought Slayers didn't get sick."  
  
He chuckled. "Viruses attack everyone. You heal fast, normally it makes up for it, but you can still get sick," he explained.  
  
"So you think I just have a cold?"  
  
He nodded. "And the drinking didn't help much, but yeah, you have a cold."  
  
"Damn, that sucks," I muttered. He laughed again. "I think vampires should get sick, then I could laugh at you."  
  
"No such luck there," he said. "I'm dead, it's a bit harder to get sick."  
  
I shrugged. "Fine then. I'll just have to find some spell that would make it happen."  
  
Still grinning to himself Alucard shook his head. "That energy could go to a much better use, ya know."  
  
I nodded. "But not a much funner use."  
  
He smirked. "Maybe."  
  
"That's your answer to everything," I stated.  
  
He grinned. "Maybe."  
  
I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. He caught it with a laugh, throwing it back. "Go to bed. You'll feel better in the morning."  
  
Catching the pillow I put it back on the bed. Normally right now I'd go somewhere to change, but I was too tired. Tonight I'd just sleep in my clothes. Slowly I pulled the sweat shirt off and threw it in a pile of dirty laundry that had been accumulating over the last few days.  
  
"I'll leave if you want to change," Alucard offered.  
  
I shook my head. "Nah, that's okay, I'm just going to go to sleep."  
  
He shrugged. "Good night then."  
  
I nodded good night to him and climbed into bed. The light turned off and I heard Alucard go back to his chair. After that things were quiet, he didn't make a sound. As tired as I was I didn't really want to sleep. I wanted to talk, or at least to do something, but I didn't know what to talk about or what I could do. If I was sick I shouldn't be doing anything. I never did like getting sick.  
  
Awhile later, I'm not sure how long, Alucard spoke up. "Don't make this a habit, Liz. When you go to bed you're suppose to fall asleep."  
  
I grinned into the darkness. "Not tired."  
  
"The moment I turn the lights on you'll change your mind," he pointed out. I nodded, though I didn't know if he'd be able to see me. "What do you want me to do? Make chicken noodle soup?" he asked sarcastically.  
  
"If I said yes would you get mad?" I murmured.  
  
"If you said yes I think I'd throw a pillow at you."  
  
I giggled a little. Second time in one day, maybe I was sick. I decided to blame it on the fact that I was tired. It sounded better to me.  
  
I heard Alucard stand up, then nothing. He could be really quiet at times. Next thing I knew his voice was coming from right in front of me. "If you don't go to sleep I'm going to have Faith come in here and yell at you."  
  
"I don't think she'll listen to you."  
  
"You never know."  
  
"What, are you waiting for me to nod off so you can go do something?"  
  
He chuckled. "No, it's just bugging me."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Don't know. Go to sleep."  
  
"You don't know?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Oh, okay."  
  
I felt more than saw him move again. I had the feeling that he was back in his chair, watching me. With a sigh I rolled over, snuggling with the pillow.  
  
"G'night Alucard," I murmured, then forced myself to sleep. It welcomed me happily.  
  
~  
  
I was staring at myself. No, she wasn't me, or at least not who I was now. Airaei smiled at me. She looked confident, sure of herself, important. She held herself as if she was. . . as if she were better than me. I had to shake my head. She wasn't better than me, but heaven forbid I told her that.  
  
*Do you want to know what should happen?* Airaei asked, though her lips didn't move.  
  
I was confused, not sure of what to do, but I nodded.  
  
*There were two options.* she said. *The first:*  
  
I was fighting, we were winning. My enemy, or enemies, were falling back, their numbers were decreasing. The fight was almost over, and I was so tired, but I had to keep going. So many of us had died. They had fought until the end, but potentials could only do so much. We never should have won, it was by miracle alone that we lasted this long. But we lasted, we were winning. Another girl feel, but before she did she threw her weapon away, to me. I held it tight, it's power filling me. I grinned at the oncoming enemy. The last one. I swung the scythe, and it was over.  
  
What was that?  
  
*A choice.*  
  
Right. And the second?  
  
I was in a chamber. No, it was more than a chamber, it was a throne room, The ceiling went so high that the light didn't reach the top. I stared up into the darkness and it was like an ill omen. My eyes lowered to the monster in front of me. To think he was once human, once a vampire. I stared into his eyes, monster's eyes. Then I glanced back at Zeke, standing to the right of a throne. Things were blurry, I couldn't see it all, but the monster in front of me was all too clear. He was dressed in black and crimson, death and blood. He was still shaped like a human, but horns jutted out of his head, his shoulders, his elbows and his hands. His skin was a yellowish color, with black tattoos winding their way along. I can't turn away from his gaze, he held me in his thrall. The Boss took a step towards me. My body screamed for me to move, but I couldn't. My gaze was caught in his, and his held it. He came closer until he could touch me. A hand slid up my arm and I shuddered, but didn't pull away. He tilted my head to the side and I didn't see his fangs slid into my neck, tearing my throat out.  
  
*What choice would you make? If you could forget everything would you do it? Would you make the choice? Would it be the right one? It's too late though. You've changed things.*  
  
It can't be all black and white. There have to be other options. You can't know what would have happened.  
  
*It would have been one of those. I died before I knew which. If I hadn't interfered then I would have known it would have been one of them. But no, I thought to save you. I fear I've destroyed everything.*  
  
You haven't. I won't let things end that way.  
  
Airaei smirked. *You have no choice.*  
  
Give me the choice. When do I make it?  
  
*You seek to do the right thing? But I can't tell you just that. I can't limit your knowledge.*  
  
I know.  
  
*It's all or nothing.*  
  
I know.  
  
*It would change things. Change you.*  
  
Don't make me repeat myself.  
  
She nodded. *Then you'll know.*  
  
~  
  
I woke up, it was morning out. The light shined through the window brightening the room, all except the small corner where Alucard slept.  
  
My head was pounding. Something was wrong. Something had happened.  
  
I couldn't remember what.  
  
~  
  
bit of a long author's note tonight.  
  
Okay, before I express much joy and happiness I apologize for all typos, unfortunately I have a nasty head ache and the thought of reading through this chapter is not good. And so, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you. and you know the rest.  
  
Oh, and did you watch Buffy!? The final episode. (I admit it, I cried) it was. great, horrible, sad, hilarious, and above all else, inspiring. I shall miss it, I'm already missing it. Buffy why do you leave us! *cries* ah well, life goes on..  
  
Five reviews! *does a happy dance, complete with disco moves that she doesn't know and the splits, which she can't do. Notices people watching and stops.* anywho. we have some newbie reviewers. special thanks, and of course, first thank you is to a regular:  
  
Beyond the silence: More about Alucard? You wish is my command! Just not yet. Soon! I promise soon! I'm glad the spelling was better, sometimes I'm good at it, I just think I didn't use any big words. Glad you like the character though. Hope you keep reading, and thanks again for the review!  
  
Srbarnett: ::cough cough:: um. ::bites her lip, twiddles her thumbs, zips her mouth shut:: mmm, mmm hmm, mmm ::unzips lips:: Sorry, I can't say anything, nada, not a thing, but thanks for the review ^.^  
  
Maude: Thank you thank you, I know, I have a dead line *sighs* It will be finished! It will I say! I plan on having the epilogue up on June 13th to celebrate the birthday of the main char. In my other stories. Ja ne, ttyl.  
  
Annje: Lol, yeah, I wanted to tell everyone 'bout that, but it would ruin the twist. Glad you're liking it, and thanks for reading! Hope you review again!  
  
Ninii the Lucil33t: my new longest review! I think. Okay, you're tied. Yeah, I've kept her not better than Buffy, or Faith, something pops up later though. . . Can't tell you much more than that. Which isn't really anything. *shrugs* Alucard is the sarcastic one who turns out to be serious, kind of like Xander just very different. Thanks for saying it's assume! I try, I really do. Yeah, it follows Buffy, sometimes (aka group meetings) word for word mostly. Scoobies: you know scooby doo the show? Well, the scoobies there solved mysteries, much like Buffy and her friends. So Xander started calling them the scoobies and it stuck. Have a day, very cool. I like those sayings ^.^ You're stories good, too, haven't gotten around to finishing it yet, been busy, but I will! Hope you have the sequel up soon! Well, that's about it.  
  
Till next time,  
  
Rave 


	16. Chapter 16

During the episode "Touched"  
  
Chapter 16  
  
You know you're sick when you sleep for almost twenty-four hours and no one bothers to wake you up. It wasn't like I slept the hole time, I got up every few hours and Alucard told me to go back to sleep. Literally. I'd wake up, try to go downstairs, and he'd always just show up and send me back up. When I tried to get one of the girls to take my side they'd listen to Alucard. You'd think being a Slayer would give me extra privileges.  
  
So I missed the whole day's activities. Here's what I know:  
  
Faith took charge, she came up with a rather smart plan to capture a bringer, since they are the weak link in the bad guy chain. You have Caleb, and the First, and the umber vamps, all of which we can't do anything about. Then we have the bringers, who we've killed on several occasions so why not capture one to question it?  
  
So Kennedy's used as bait to pick the guy up. Giles and a couple potentials go as back up, they kill a few bringers and bring the remaining one back. He's now in the basement, hanging out in chains. I was awake to see him show up. The problem is he doesn't have a tongue. Someone must have ripped it out. Sounds painful doesn't it?  
  
Then we have Dawn with a bright idea. She's reading some Turkish book that has a spell to talk to dead people. At first I thought we were going to kill the bringer, but no, instead we're just going to use it on him while he's alive. We'll see if he has anything to tell us.  
  
That brings us to right now. Everyone's in the kitchen chatting. Someone made chicken noodle soup. I'd glare at them but I don't know who it was, that and it tasted good. The good news is that I'm not sick anymore. Much sleeping cured everything, I feel fit as a fiddle or however the saying goes.  
  
I watched as Faith agreed with the plan. "Well, alright, cool," she said, "While Willow's doing that, why don't the rest of us-"  
  
"We're ba-ack!"  
  
We all looked towards the front door as Andrew and Spike walked in.  
  
"Hey," Spike said to us all.  
  
Then Andrew kept talking. "Hi, everybody. I missed you guys a lot. Sorry we took so long getting back from our mission, but we had to wait out the sun and hey," he got a good look at Xander, "oh, cool. Very Col. Nick Fury. You're lookin' good!"  
  
"Seeing slightly less good. But thanks," Xander said.  
  
"Well, I think we had a very successful trip.. We rode on Spike's "hog", which was very cool and played some amusing games and, oh yeah, we've got some information-but do you know what? I really need to urinate," and with that Andrew dashed off towards the bathroom.  
  
My eyes followed him for a moment before I turned to Spike.  
  
"He's a breath of fresh air, isn't he?" Spike muttered. "Thank god I don't breath."  
  
"Played some amusing games?" I asked as everyone else avoided looking at him.  
  
He frowned at me. "Don't ask." Then to the others. "So I think we got a lead. Where's Buffy?"  
  
"She's not here right now," said Dawn.  
  
Spike shrugged, not bothered by that. "When's she getting back?" Still no one said anything. I ate a spoonful of soup, chewing on the noodles so that it would look like I had an excuse not to talk. "What? She finally ran off and joined the circus? Always thought she'd be a genius at the old knife throw--" he paused, seeing everyone's uncomfortable looks. "Where is she?"  
  
Willow started talking a little hesitantly as I took another spoonful of soup. "While you were gone we all got together and talked out the disagreements we'd been having. And eventually, after some discussion, Buffy decided that it would be best for all of us if she took a little time off. A little breather," Willow stated. It might have sounded better if she sounded like she believed it.  
  
Spike obviously didn't. "I see. Uh-huh," he paused, looking at all of us. I ate another bite. "Been practicing that lit'l speech long, have you? So Buffy took some time off, right in the middle of an apocalypse. And it was her decision?"  
  
"Well, we all decided," Xander said.  
  
"Yeah, you all decided," Spike snapped at him. He paced for a moment before turning to me. "What'd you do about this? Did you help kick her out?"  
  
I stared into his accusing eyes and decided to just be blunt. "I didn't say a thing. Well, I said that Faith hadn't done a bad job keeping the group together, but you can blame that on the fact that I was sick. But basically, yeah, I just sat back and watched it all." He glared at me, then at all of us.  
  
"You sad, sad, ungrateful traitors," he growled. "Who do you think you are?"  
  
"We're her friends," Willow said quietly. "We only want--"  
  
"That's ballsy of you," Spike cut in, "You're her friend and you betray her like this?"  
  
"You don't understand--" Giles started.  
  
Again Spike cut in. "You know, I think I do, Rupert. You used to be the big man, didn't you? The teacher all full of wisdom. And now she's surpassed you, and you can't handle it." He looked at all of us. "She's saved your lives, again and again. She's died for you. And this is how you thank her? This is how you-"  
  
"Hey, why don't you take it down a notch or two?" Faith said, stepping in. "The time for giving speeches is over, bat-boy."  
  
"Is that right?" Spike said sarcastically.  
  
Faith nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Save your lack of breath."  
  
"Alright," Spike snapped. Then he punched her in the jaw.  
  
Faith was caught off guard and fell back against the counter, I jumped out of the way, not wanting to get caught in the middle of whatever fight was starting. Faith touched her jaw, a smile spread slowly across her face.  
  
"You're pretty sweet on her, aren't you?" She said. Then using the counter, Faith kicked up both legs at once, cracking Spike in the face. "Well, I think it's cute." Spike hit her hard, and she took the blow, but then quickly hit him back. "The way she's got you whipped." She kicked him hard, hitting him back into the dinning room where he fell onto his back. Faith jumped on him, hitting him in the face again and again.  
  
Spike kicked back, throwing Faith off him. Having the upper hand he pushed her up against the wall, right in her face. "Finally got what you always wanted, didn't you?" He asked angrily. She stared into his eyes, just as angry. Spike grabbed her head and slammed it into the wall. "Where is she?" he demanded.  
  
"I don't know," Faith growled back. She wrenched out of his grasp and kicked him in the gut. Readying for his returning blow she backed up a little.  
  
Spike didn't attack though. He just threw up his hands as if to say "screw it" and turned away, heading back to the kitchen doorway. None of us met his eyes, I guess you could say we all felt a little guilty. Me not so much, but for the rest he was just rubbing it in. They had kicked their friend out. Buffy wasn't really my friend, but she had saved the world a few times.  
  
Without saying another word Spike turned to the door and left.  
  
I stared after for a moment then looked at everyone else. "So, how're we planning on doing the spell?" I asked.  
  
They all looked at my like I was speaking a foreign language, I just stared back patiently. Finally Giles nodded and set about getting everyone in order. Before I knew it we were all downstairs in the basement with the bringer with Willow preparing to cast the spell.  
  
Willow started talking in Turkish. I couldn't understand a word she was saying but the direct translation that Giles told me was basically, "You are getting very sleepy. Very, very sleepy. I do not have a pocket watch but then again, you do not have eyes. Speak to us." Personally, I liked the spell.  
  
When she finished Willow closed the book and we all waited for a long moment. Nothing happened.  
  
"Maybe you should let me rough him up a little," Andrew whispered loudly.  
  
Xander and Kennedy glared at him, "Andrew, Quiet!" They said almost at the same time.  
  
The bringer still wasn't moving.  
  
"I don't know, you guys; that should have worked," Willow murmured.  
  
Giles shrugged. "Perhaps you should try again. Sometimes your conjugations are a little unusual," he pointed out.  
  
"I am a drone in the mind of evil-" Andrew said, low and serious. I turned to stair at him.  
  
"Could you just shut up?" Xander snapped.  
  
"What're you talking about?" I said.  
  
"I say, I am a part of the Great Darkness-" Andrew continued.  
  
"Somebody needs a reality check-" Kennedy muttered.  
  
I nodded. "No kidding."  
  
"And a muzzle," Xander added.  
  
"Wait," Giles murmured, studying Andrew. We all looked at him, then at Andrew.  
  
Andrew just sat there, staring blankly ahead. There was something odd about him. For one thing, he had sounded serious, for another he wasn't saying anything stupid. If I didn't know any better I'd say he wasn't the one talking. Which, in this house, meant he probably wasn't. I glanced at the bringer, then back to Andrew. He was serving as a conduit or something, a way for the bringer to talk to us.  
  
"I am only a fragment of The We," Andrew/Bringer continued. "We work as one to serve The First."  
  
"Okay, well, what are you, "The We", doing for The First?" Willow asked.  
  
"We work to prepare for the inevitable battle," Andrew/Bringer said in monotone.  
  
Kennedy got right up into the actual bringer's face. She pulled out the bringer's own knife from her belt and pointed it at him threateningly, just touching the point to the bringer's neck. Willow stood next to Kennedy, looking somewhat uncomfortable about Kennedy's aggression.  
  
"How? Tell me exactly what the bringers are doing," Kennedy demanded.  
  
"Kennedy, he can't see the knife," Giles pointed out.  
  
"We can feel the knife," said the bringer calmly.  
  
Giles held out his hand to Kennedy, asking for the knife. "Kennedy?" he said, the question obvious. She handed the knife over.  
  
"We attend to the needs of infinite evil. We exterminate girls and destroy the legacy of Slayer. We build an arsenal beneath the dirt. We obey the commands of our teacher Caleb. We protect-"  
  
"Wait, go back to that dirt thing," Xander said, cutting off Andrew/the bringer.  
  
"We build weapons for the coming war," he said.  
  
"Can you do better specificity-wise than "under the dirt"?" Anya asked.  
  
"At the farthest edge of town," The bringer answered. Then he starred at all of us almost threateningly. "We are everywhere. We are like the ocean's waves. We watch your efforts and are not scared. We will laugh at you as you die.-"  
  
Suddenly Giles slashed the knife across the bringers throat. The bringer gasped, sucking air through the wound, and then he died. At the same time Andrew jerked in his seat, suddenly free of the bringer's control.  
  
"What the bananas!" Andrew shouted, we all turned to see him clutching his throat. He glared at Giles. "Okay, it is so lucky for you that didn't just magically decapitate me."  
  
Giles ignored him. "We got something here. Let's get Faith in on this." Then he turned to head up the stairs, the rest of the gang following him up. I followed right after Anya, heading up with the rest of them.  
  
At the top of the stairs Giles continued giving out instructions. "Xander, if you'll grab some maps we can start narrowing this down. We need subterranean space with an area large enough for an armory."  
  
"Ug! I feel used and violated and I need a lozenge," Andrew wined as Xander went off to find the map and Anya followed her out.  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, be quiet. Nothing big happened."  
  
He turned to me. "You're not the one who was possessed by an evil bringer, what would you know."  
  
I shrugged. "Absolutely nothing. But you're alive right? That's a good sign."  
  
"Well, yes, but. . ." He started.  
  
"Andrew be quiet," Giles said, shutting him up before he could find a new complaint. "I'm going to find Faith, the rest of you get some rest." He started walking away.  
  
"Wait, what're we going to do about the body?" I asked, suddenly thinking about it.  
  
Giles turned around a little, thinking. "Why don't you get Alucard to take care of it?" he asked, seeming pleased with his decision.  
  
I shrugged. "Sounds good," I said and went looking for Alucard. I found him in the kitchen heating up a pack of blood.  
  
He glanced as me as I walked in and took a seat. "Hey, I heard I missed a little skirmish between Faith and your bro."  
  
I shrugged. "Yeah, it wasn't that big a deal."  
  
"I think some furniture got broken," Alucard pointed out.  
  
"I think you're right."  
  
He pulled the blood out of the microwave and took a sip. "That's not a big deal?"  
  
"I think it's kind of normal around here," I explained.  
  
He shrugged. "Probably right." He took another sip before continuing. "So, did you meet the bringer?" he asked.  
  
I nodded. "Giles killed it."  
  
"Already? Well, that's a let down."  
  
"Why? What do you need a bringer for?" I asked.  
  
Alucard shrugged. "Dunno, could be fun to beat on. I'm not allowed to touch anyone else in the house. Who knows, maybe he's edible."  
  
I made a face. "That just sounds nasty."  
  
He chuckled. "Yeah, it does." He took a seat across the table. "So why'd you come chatting? I'm not that entertaining and the girl's couldn't have pissed you off yet. You just woke up a few hours ago."  
  
Shrugging I leaned back. "Blame it on Giles."  
  
"Blame what on Giles? You talking to me?"  
  
"Nah, you have to clean up the bringer mess," I said happily. "He assigned it to you."  
  
"Wait a sec," Alucard said, his eyes narrowing. "What?"  
  
"You have to dispose of the dead bringer," I explained, making it even more obvious.  
  
"Says Giles?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
Alucard sighed and leaned back. "Whatever happened to Faith being in charge? Didn't we just impeach Buffy? I didn't support Faith to have to clean up dead villains."  
  
"You didn't support Faith, you sat back and watched," I pointed out.  
  
He frowned at me. "Fine, but you're coming with, needed to talk to you anyway."  
  
"What do you call what we're doing now?" I asked.  
  
He rolled his eyes. "Away from the prying ears of the potentials and the naggingness of all vampire haters who happen to live here."  
  
Well, I suppose that made sense. He was right, there were a lot of people here, and most of the potentials didn't like the fact that he was a vampire. It didn't help that he had been inlisted to help train them and now everyone knows that he actually can fight pretty damn well. It scarred the kiddies a little, but for the most part they got over it. Besides, he's working for the good guys, so thing are good.  
  
"That's fine. You finish that up and grab the body, I'll be right back," I stated, getting to my feet.  
  
"Where're you going?" Alucard asked.  
  
I didn't stop walking as I talked. "To change, I'm not going out in pajamas," I stated, pointing out that I was wearing flannel pjs. Very comfortable, but not the best for late night walks. Alucard didn't say anything else as I found my stash of clothes. Quickly I changed into loose fitting jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt then I threw on some nikes and put my hair up. Ta-da, ready to go.  
  
When I got back downstairs Alucard was dragging the bringer in a big plastic bag outside. I watched him carry it then followed behind him, shutting the door. "So where're we taking it to?" I asked.  
  
Alucard shrugged. "You know this town better than me. Where can we drop off a body?"  
  
I shrugged, looking down the street both ways. "Well, the place is mostly abandoned. No electricity anywhere. I'm thinking as long as we don't smell it we're doing good."  
  
"Okay, we'll go about a block then I'm throwing it in someone's back yard," he suggested.  
  
Nodding I answered, "That works."  
  
We walked in silence down the street. Sure enough at the first corner he dragged the bag over to some person's fence and tossed it into their yard. He brushed his hands off then walked back to me. We stood for a few seconds then he nodded forward and we both went on.  
  
"So, you said you wanted to talk about something?" I prompted.  
  
Alucard nodded, but didn't answer. We kept walking in silence. I glanced at him, trying to read what he was thinking. His face was carefully blank, though. He could be contemplating an upcoming battle or next week's TV show. Sighing I looked away. Maybe he'd start talking or maybe we'd just walk a ways. Eventually we'd go back to the house, though, so if he hadn't said anything by then it was his problem.  
  
"So you've been having bad dreams?" He said at last.  
  
My eyes flickered to him, then I looked down at the sidewalk. "Dunno, maybe."  
  
"You don't remember," he said it as a statement. I nodded.  
  
We were nearing a park, a small place with swings and a slide. Alucard stopped walking right next to a bench inside of it. He rubbed his eyes for a moment, still thinking about whatever, but seeming frustrated.  
  
"Just to speed things up, what's the point of this conversation?" I asked, literally to save time.  
  
Alucard threw me a quick smile. "Well, that's the problem. I'm not sure."  
  
"Ah, so we just stand here completely bored until you figure it out?" I asked.  
  
"Something like that."  
  
"Lovely," I muttered.  
  
He sighed, then turned to me, as if something suddenly hit him. "You have any idea what the dreams are about?"  
  
I shook my head. "Not a clue."  
  
He nodded, still thinking, but thinking faster. "I think. . . well, when you figure it out, I need to talk to you."  
  
My eyes narrowed. "Okay, as much as I've implied I haven't directly accused you of leaving out some huge overly important fact in this whole thing. But there is a big important fact, and I think whatever that fact is has something to do with your problem right now. So why don't you just spit it out and we can have some sort of conversation."  
  
He blinked. "You're mad."  
  
I glared. "No, but if you push the point I will be."  
  
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it, it's not important."  
  
"Yes it is," I insisted.  
  
"How would you know?" He asked.  
  
How would I know? Well, he had left out a few things, and he wasn't being very clear now so. . . "It's kind of obvious."  
  
He frowned. "Look, I don't really know how to talk about it. You're not. . ." he paused as if he wasn't sure of what to say. "You're not remembering everything. It just wouldn't seem. . . right I guess, I don't know," he probably did the smart thing and stopped talking. He turned away from me and glared at the playground for awhile.  
  
"What am I not remembering?" I asked. "Maybe if you told me it would trigger things and-"  
  
"I doubt it," he butted in.  
  
I frowned. "How can you be so sure."  
  
"I just don't think it would work," he said, quieter.  
  
"What makes you the expert?" I asked, getting angry. Just because he knew my past self and some big secret he wasn't telling me didn't mean he could leave out all the information. Or maybe it did, but I still wanted to know.  
  
He shook his head. "Nothing, nothing," he muttered. He turned, as if to walk away, then turned back. He looked like he was about to say something then he shook his head and turned away again. I just stood there, wondering how many times this was going to happen.  
  
"You know, for being almost 2,000 you still act like a teenager," I pointed out. He stopped walking and turned back around to glare at me.  
  
He didn't have a chance to say anything though, someone else butted in. "Really, Alucard, I have to agree with Liz on this one. If I didn't know any better I'd say you're trying to talk to the wrong girl."  
  
We both turned towards the swing set. Leaning against one of the polls was Zeke, wearing his stylish sunglasses as he grinned at us. He was dressed in all black, something that was actually unusual for him.  
  
"What the," Alucard murmured as he quickly checked the area for other vampires. He hadn't felt Zeke show up, and that was worrying him. Zeke just stood and watched him, a happy little smirk on his face. Alucard took a step back, putting himself halfway in front of me and in a defensive position.  
  
"What's the matter, Al, surprised?" Zeke asked, pushing off the bar, slowly walking towards us. "Hey, what can I do? I mean, we could fight, I could win, boss would like that, you know. He's really pissed at you, says something about how you could make a difference," Zeke shrugged. "Who knows, he could be right." There was something almost bitter in his voice. I think he was angry. Not at us, but just in general. The fact that he could take it out on us was something he was looking forward to.  
  
"Zeke, what're you doing here?" I asked, keeping my voice even.  
  
He grinned at me. It wasn't a nice grin. "Just went out for a walk, heard some talking, didn't expect to see you two," he stated. "Then Alucard starts flipping out," he looked at Alucard, smirking. "So what all does she know now? Obviously some things. Probably knows a bit about Airaei, you've filled in a few holes, right? Does she know about the arena? How about-"  
  
"Shut up," Alucard growled, cutting him off.  
  
Zeke chuckled. "Oh, come now Alucard. There shouldn't be any secrets here. I know what's going on, and you know what's going one. Why shouldn't Liz know?"  
  
Okay, that was tempting. I could probably ask Zeke and he would tell me simply to piss of Alucard. The question was did I want Zeke to tell me. It depended on what he was saying. Maybe the secret was something that didn't really matter, or maybe it wasn't.  
  
Zeke just shook his head. "Quit thinkin' so hard, Liz, you ain't going to ask about it. You'll play things safe for now," he stated, as if reading my mind. I would have argued but he was right. "Doesn't matter, anyway. I'm supposed to get rid of Zeke, then deal with cranky Mr. Boss, who keeps yelling about wanting his Slayer. You know that's really getting annoying."  
  
"I'm not his Slayer, I don't belong to anyone," I pointed out.  
  
Zeke shrugged. "Use to think you did, but I changed my mind. If you ever belonged to anyone it was whoever you choose, and you keep changing your mind on that."  
  
Alucard smirked. "Just like a woman."  
  
I glared at both of them. "Careful now or you'll sound like Caleb."  
  
"Caleb?" Zeke asked, then he recognized the name. "Oh, one of the First's guys."  
  
Alucard and I exchanged a look.  
  
I turned back to Zeke. "What're you here for? I'm sure it's not to exchange small chat."  
  
"Nah, I'm actually here for Alucard," Zeke stated.  
  
Alucard frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Boss wants you dead," he said with a shrug, not seeming to mind too much. "Just doing my job."  
  
"Why am I thinking that maybe that's not the only reason you're trying to kill me?" Alucard drawled, never taking his eyes off Zeke's movements.  
  
Tension was building between the two of them, and I was feeling out of the loop on this one. Who had ticked off who at what point? What had I missed. Okay, probably everything, but I wanted to know why my friend's were trying to kill each other. Probably had something to do with them being on opposite sides of a war, but I got the impression this was personal.  
  
"Look guys, before we start killing each other, someone want to tell me why?" They ignored me.  
  
Both of them were staring at each other intently, almost waiting for the other to move first. I took a step away from Alucard in case anything happened. Rotating my gaze from Zeke to Alucard I tried again, "Wait, maybe we-"  
  
It was too late, I didn't even see them move. At one point I was talking, then suddenly Alucard was flying through the air. Zeke had thrown him so hard he was barely more than a blur. He crashed hard onto a swing set, hitting one of the polls and leaving a dent. Zeke watched, waiting, only a few feet away from me as Alucard got to his feet.  
  
"Screw this," I muttered. "Zeke, stop it!"  
  
I hadn't meant to distract him, that just sort of happened. Zeke had glanced at me, probably to answer, and Alucard had taken the chance to attack. I saw him move this time, my eyes flickered towards him at the last minute. Zeke had noticed and tried to do something but Alucard was on him.  
  
Following the fight was hard. I had never actually watched anyone fight that quickly. Most vampires couldn't. I wasn't sure if it was their age of if they just picked up the ability but they moved like lightning. Every few seconds I would see one of them hit the other, or be able to see them crash into something. A few times I jumped out of the way to avoid collision.  
  
Finally I got fed up. The fight was coming towards me and instead of moving away I did the opposite. I walked right between them.  
  
Things froze for a fraction of a second, just long enough for the to realize what happened, and then they both jumped back, putting distance between all of us. Neither of them stared at me long, their attention stayed on each other. The brawl had been paused though, so maybe I could do something about it.  
  
"Listen," I said calmly, trying to get both of them focused on me. It didn't work. "Guys, look at me," neither of them did. I sighed, shaking my head. "Fine, you want to fight? Who am I to stop you. Go ahead, get all bloodied up. For all the good it's going to do either of you."  
  
Alucard looked a little tired, and he had been listening, but his eyes were still on Zeke. "Liz, get outta here. Go back to the house or something," he sounded serious.  
  
"Ri-ight. That's really gonna happen," I said. Zeke grinned a little, mostly to make fun of Alucard. "Zeke, cut it out. I understand that you're pissed at the world. That's nice and all, but why don't you go pick on someone else? Maybe the person who pissed you off?"  
  
Zeke shrugged. "I like this fight better," was all he said.  
  
I nodded carefully. "Yeah, you might win it. My guess is the Boss would slaughter you. I know this, but at the moment I don't care. I'm trying to have a conversation and you're trying to have a brawl. These things kind of clash."  
  
Zeke risked looking at me for a moment. Emotions were coming and going in waves, if I didn't know him as well as I did I wouldn't have been able to make out any of it. From what I could tell he was both mad at me and extremely amused.  
  
"Your conversation wasn't going well," he pointed out.  
  
I nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm working on that."  
  
Zeke grinned slowly, looking back at Alucard. "I can answer any and all of your questions Beth. It'd make things a lot easier."  
  
Damn temptation, it got annoying. Unfortunately I couldn't take him up on the offer. If nothing else it wasn't right to owe anything tot he bad guys. "Sorry, Zeke. I think I'll manage on my own."  
  
Zeke shrugged. "Yeah, you will, but maybe I can speed things up a bit." His gaze was focused entirely on Alucard, he was talking to me almost as a side note.  
  
"What're you planning, Zeke?" Alucard growled.  
  
Zeke looked too please with himself about something. "You remember Saedi, don't you Alucard? She's a nice little witch, isn't she? All good at different types of spells."  
  
Alucard didn't move, but something in him shifted, he looked almost as if he was ready to run if he had to. This Saedi character must be someone scary to scar him off that quickly. "Sure, she can do plenty," he said, perfectly calm.  
  
Zeke nodded. "I got her to whip up a spell for me the other day, just in case it could come in handy, you know?" Alucard nodded, very slowly, watching Zeke carefully. I almost stepped back, out of the way, but I was afraid they'd start fighting again. "Well, it's designed just for you. Or maybe for Liz,  
  
depends how you look at it. If nothing else it should clear up a couple questions, shouldn't it?"  
  
"What did you do?" Alucard asked. There was a threat in his voice, something very dangerous and deadly. I hadn't heard that voice in quite some time, it was almost odd having Alucard sound like that. He sounded like one of the bad guys.  
  
Zeke wasn't amused. He looked just as serious as Alucard. "Don't worry," he murmured. "It shouldn't do anything if you don't love her."  
  
Alucard's eyes widened for just a second, then his whole body lurched forward. He almost fell, but caught himself on the same bench he had stopped by earlier.  
  
"What the. . ." I murmured, turning to Zeke. "What's going on?"  
  
Zeke shrugged. "Why don't you ask him," he said with no emotion.  
  
I turned to Alucard who was staring fixedly at the ground. He paid no attention to me or even Zeke as he just tried to remain standing and in control.  
  
"Hmm, this won't work," Zeke murmured, and suddenly he was next to Alucard. Alucard didn't fight at all as Zeke grabbed his head and smashed it against the bench. Quickly Zeke lifted him into the air and let go, kicking him before he could hit the ground.  
  
This time he crashed near me, hitting the ground hard and throwing up dust. I ducked out of the way, avoiding anything that might have been tossed my way when Alucard landed.  
  
"Are you okay?" I asked as things started to settle down. I knew it wasn't a smart question, he wouldn't be okay, but I didn't know what else to ask.  
  
Quickly I got to my feet to check on Alucard. He was just lying there, staring at me. "Are you okay?" I repeated, but he didn't answer.  
  
Turning around I looked for Zeke, but he wasn't here. I went in circles to make sure, but I didn't see anything. I stopped turning and face Alucard, who had gotten back to his feet. He was still silent, and still staring at me.  
  
"Alucard, did you see Zeke go? I want to make sure he's gone," I asked.  
  
There was no response, for a moment I was worried he couldn't talk, then I was pissed that he wasn't saying anything.  
  
"Alucard--"  
  
He grabbed my shoulder, gripping it hard. Frowning, I wasn't sure what was going on. "Let go," I said firmly, trying to pull away. Something was wrong and until I found out what I didn't want him touching me.  
  
But his grip was like iron. I tired to pull, he grabbed my other shoulder as well.  
  
"Alucard--"  
  
"Shut up," he said, barely above a whisper. I stopped pulling and just stared at him, he stared back. For a second things seemed to click. There was something there that I could see in his face as he stared at me so intently. And then. . .  
  
He kissed me.  
  
His lips pushed against mine hard as one of his hands drifted to support my neck. Everything seemed to freeze. I could feel him against me but my mind wasn't processing. The only thing I could feel was surprise.  
  
I tried to pull back, he didn't let me. Instead he pulled me closer. My mouth formed a small 'o' of surprise and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue into my mouth.  
  
That was the time that I sort of started thinking again. I believe the first thought was "What the hell, I'm French kissing a vampire." That was followed up by something along the lines of "This is kinda nice." The second thought surprised and worried me.  
  
I wasn't romantically interested in Alucard. This was wrong, I should pull away, make him let me go.  
  
I didn't want to, though. This did feel nice. It was more than that. It felt. . .right. He was kissing me, and I was kissing him back.  
  
Then he let go, looking almost as shocked as I must have.  
  
"Holy crap," he whispered, still staring at me, but now completely different. He looked worried, confused, flustered. Basically how I was feeling.  
  
Nodding to his comment I asked. "What was that?"  
  
"A spell," Alucard said nervously, he didn't sound completely sure, but almost completely.. I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Why was that? I should be happy it was a spell. I think he noticed the disappointment, and quickly he added. "Kind of a spell. . . It, well, it was. . . Fuck. . ."  
  
"What?" I asked, confused.  
  
Alucard shook his head, resigned. "Look, it wasn't a spell. Not really," he finished. I was about to ask another question but he went on. "Liz, just go home. Go back to the house, you should be safe there. Just go."  
  
He didn't give me a chance to say anything to that. The moment I tried he was gone. Poof! Disappeared. He had used that nifty ability to go quicker than the eye could see to get away, leaving me alone.  
  
We had kissed. Just like that. They had been fighting, Zeke had done some spell thing, then we had kissed. Some how the spell had been involved. Maybe it was a lust spell? That would make sense, but then what about what he had said afterwards? It wasn't the spell. What did that mean? What did any of this mean? Why the hell was I obsessing over this?  
  
That thought gave me enough anger to turn around and stomp out of what was left of the park. There wasn't anything I could do here, anyway. I let the anger carry me all the way back to the house. It was late, and things were quiet. not surprisingly the girls were all sleeping.  
  
That was good because I didn't want to talk. I walked upstairs and into Dawn's room, where I found Dawn sleeping in her bed, and about half a dozen girls scattered on the floor. I frowned at the mess, but it made sense. Dawn wasn't going to lend her room out forever and I hadn't been here. Still I was frustrated, though. So I marched back downstairs and into the basement, where, thanks to Spike's blow out, no one was staying.  
  
It felt empty, the basement. I stood in the middle of it, just staring, and everything felt empty. I wasn't tired, but I didn't want to do anything. So I just stood there, until I was too tired to stand any more, then I went to sleep.  
  
~  
  
I woke up feeling better than I had in a long time. There hadn't been any dreams, just nice nothingness. It made me wish for more nights like that.  
  
After the initial rolling out of bed and making sure I looked half way decent I went upstairs, to find the house in an uproar. Everyone was up and ready for action, which didn't make much sense because it was still early. Normal people weren't up until ten or eleven. They were all gathering in the living room so I joined them in there, where Andrew was giving a little speech.  
  
"So it turned out that all these stone tablets basically said the same thing. The First and Caleb are trying to protect something. We don't know exactly what, but it's something powerful and they don't want the Slayers to get it. I'm thinking it could be a weapon and if we are looking for an arsena-"  
  
"You're not coming," Faith pointed out.  
  
"If one is looking for an arsenal," he corrected himself, "well, what better place to find a-"  
  
"Weapon. Okay, got it," Faith stepped in again. "Good thinking, Andrew."  
  
Andrew nodded. "It's a pleasure, Faith. Back to you."  
  
"Enough. Okay, I need you four to suss out the low-down on B," Faith said, turning to Giles, Willow, Dawn and Xander. "I don't want you talking to her, getting in her way, or, for that matter, letting her know you're there. Just do a little recon."  
  
"Where do you want me, Faith?" Wood asked from the couch.  
  
Faith barely glanced at him. "By your phone. I'll call you when I need you."  
  
"What are we looking for, I mean, is there some reason we should. . . spy on Buffy?" Dawn asked Faith.  
  
"We're just making sure she's okay," Faith explained.  
  
"Those of you who are coming with me to the arsenal, you know who you are," Faith glanced at some of the girls. "Everybody ready?" They nodded and stood up. "Then let's do this thing." Faith turned to the door, I kind of got in her way.  
  
"Faith, sorry, but what's going on?" I asked.  
  
She glanced at me for a moment. "We're looking into that arsenal thing the bringer was talking about," she explained in a hurry.  
  
I nodded. "Any chance you need another Slayer tagging along?" I asked.  
  
Faith shook her head. "I'd take you , but your watchers were pretty pushy about you staying here long enough to talk to you about a few things," she said with a shrug.  
  
"My watchers?" I asked, not sure what she was talking about.  
  
"Over here," I heard Todd say. He was standing with the potentials, carrying an ax and a couple of stakes.  
  
I frowned at him. "Oh, you're here. Well, tell her I can go and talk to you later."  
  
"Actually, you'll be talking with me." Lloyd stepped out from the living room. "Todd will be going with Faith, it's all planned out."  
  
"Wait a sec," I said, "What if he gets hurt or-"  
  
"Chill Beth," Faith said. "He'll be fine. Besides, from what I've seen he's one of the best fighters here. Todd's a big boy, he'll take care of himself." With that parting note she nodded towards the door and the potentials followed her out. Todd waved good bye to me, then left as well.  
  
After they left I turned back to Lloyd. "Okay, you show up last minute, and then hold me back from a fight, sending Todd in my place," I started, somewhat accusingly, "you better have a good reason for all of this."  
  
Lloyd walked past me, heading for the dinning room, he nodded for me to follow. There really wasn't anything else for me to do, so I followed him. We walked in at about the same time Chris did, carrying a box with him.  
  
Taking a seat at the head of the table Lloyd folded his hands together and stared at me. "I've been doing some research on your little curse, letting Chris handle the diary. It is a diary, by the way," he said.  
  
"Back to the curse?" I asked, somewhat surprised. "Isn't that over with? I mean, I'm alive again."  
  
Lloyd nodded. "Indeed. I do believe it's over with, but I want to know exactly why. I feel it's important for some reason, so I looked into it, with Jordan's help of course," Lloyd explain, nodding to Chris as he did so. Chris opened the box and pulled out a file which he handed to me. I carefully opened it, flipping through a couple of pages. Mostly it was just facts, dates, a couple timelines. I let Lloyd explain it all as I moved onto the pictures.  
  
"This is a list of every known occurrence of your particular curse. As you can see it was used quite often," he pointed out. I nodded agreement, it was a long list of events. "Finding the people was quite simple after we identified the curse, which is actually simple to do, and isn't always a curse."  
  
I glanced up at him. "So what kind of spell is it?"  
  
"One based on patterns. It's a spell of threes," he stated. "the caster can be almost anyone with a magical gift. They need someone to channel the spell though, most often it's a vampire. Whoever it is, they have to have drunk some of the victims blood. Obviously that wasn't a problem with you. Brekken was the obvious channel, and he had some witch helping him.  
  
"The witch needed to decide on how she would punish you. Brekken told her to strip you of her powers, which it did, but the spell has draw backs. It can't take something without giving something else in return. In your case you lost your strength, but you gained internal life.  
  
"Then there's the way to get rid of the spell. As I said it works in patterns of three. The caster has to set certain rules, and when those rules are broken, so is the spell. All rules revolve around the number three. In your case it probably had something to do with being the third Slayer."  
  
I nodded, flipping through a few more pages. "And all these people, they had this done to them?" I asked as I pulled up a chair.  
  
Lloyd nodded. "In a matter of speaking. The important thing is that some suffered after effects. Sometimes days afterwards, sometimes years. I just want you to be careful," he said.  
  
Nodding I put the file down. "So it might not be over. Great," I muttered with a sigh. "So, what else do you got for me?"  
  
Lloyd sighed and looked at the table, trying to think of anything he might have forgotten. Finally he shrugged. "There's how the spell works, but that's simple. It's influenced by the magic around you. Whatever magic's in effect was basically what kept you alive."  
  
I blinked. "Simple?" Well, I suppose the basic idea was simple. Lloyd was giving me a look that meant 'stop and think about it.' So I did. "So I ran off other magic, but what happened when the other magic wasn't there? I mean, sometimes I wasn't near any spells at all."  
  
He nodded. "Yes, I considered that. After consulting Giles though, I realized that there's magic everywhere. The trees, the ground, the Earth itself all contains some energy that this spell can draw upon and use for whatever it was summoned to do."  
  
While being cheesy that made sense. Actually, Willow had been learning just that on her trip to England over the summer. Jordan and her would sometimes go over different theories on magic and that one came up a few times. All the good magic came from the ground. It was usually peaceful and all that kind of thing.  
  
A thought occurred to me. "What happens if you're around bad magic?"  
  
"You mean like vampires?" Lloyd asked, I could tell he had already had that thought. I nodded for him to explain and he went on. "I considered that fact, because you spent a great deal of time around that particular group of undead. After more research I learned that since they're people, in one way or another, you don't necessarily take on their traits as a race, but perhaps their personality. You might experience lack of conscious or perhaps a lack of caring for anything alive. Or even just a general feeling from your friends."  
  
He was right on cue with that. It made sense even. Not to mention it explained a lot. At least we had now discovered the reason for lack of caring towards humans. Imagine what would have happened if I had been around really bad vampires who liked to torture people. I shuddered at the thought. That would have just been really bad.  
  
"Other than that there's been nothing worth talking about yet," Lloyd stated with a shrug. "We were hoping you'd have something to tell us," he said  
  
I raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"  
  
"Have you read the book yet? I mean actually read it, just like you'd read a novel," Lloyd asked.  
  
I shook my head. "No, not yet."  
  
"Then I suggest you get started. Then we'll talk." Lloyd leaned back, just staring at me. For the moment he was done talking. Now that he had said his bit he was waiting for me to do my part of everything. If only I knew what I was supposed to do.  
  
Shrugging I turned to go to Dawn's room. "I left it upstairs. I'll be back down in a minute." I skipped up the stairs, grabbing the diary from where I had stashed it on one of the shelves. There was something important in the book, and Lloyd wanted me to figure out what it was. So I would try reading it.  
  
Who knows, maybe it would tell me something.  
  
~  
  
. . . yeah, I have no comments. . .  
  
FallenStar: glad you're liking it! I try to be original, that and I can't really write the original characters so I'm forced to come up with new stuff. . . ^.^ but thanks!  
  
Ninii the Lucil33t: Here's another chapter, no visits from Airaei, I think next chapter there will be, though. Maybe. I have it all planned out somewhere. . . who knows what happened to that. I think my dog ate it, literally. The question wasn't stupid, and yeah, it would only be Xander.  
  
Beyond the silence: eck! Don't fail! I don't mean to be distracting! Eck, well, yes I do, but still, hope you did just peachy like on the test. Yeah, I've given up on spelling. I figure I'll go back and fix it all later. Hmm. . . a prequel. . . actually, I haven't thought about it. I'm hoping to finish this story before Friday the 13th, cause I'm leaving the day after and I won't be back for six weeks, during that time I'll start on my next story, but I think I'm going back to Gundam Wing to finish up a different series I have going. Don't worry, I have no problem with long reviews ^.~  
  
Maude: hmm. . . Well, what to tell you. . . you already kinda know the ending. . . I'll stick with thanks for the review!  
  
That's all for now fokes!  
  
~Rave 


	17. Chapter 17

During "End of Days"  
  
Chapter 17  
  
I had brought the book downstairs to the living room and just started reading it. It started out slow, mostly just giving dates of different events that didn't seem very important. Then it started talking about the vault, but mostly it just mentioned visits.  
  
One thing I found interesting was that Airaei never really felt excited to visit the vault, not until later on. When she 'remembered' the prophecy her interest perked. It was if she finally thought my life might be interesting. It wasn't until I came back to life that she really mentioned me, using my name and everything.  
  
The whole thing felt rather formal, as if someone was telling her to write it and she had to follow some sort of pattern. Then, about twenty pages from the end, things changed a little.  
  
It had gone back a couple of weeks, back before she remembered the prophecy. It was if she had a second journal hidden here, one for her eyes only. Almost the entire thing was complaining about her parents, saying how she was going to leave once she finished with the vault, and talking about someone who I think was her lover.  
  
Dexion was human, a few years older than her. He was a guard for her family and often fought in the arena. Her father had him sent away after he noticed that Airaei and him were getting close. He had several suitors in mind for her, none of which she liked.  
  
The hole section sounded like one huge complaint. As far as I could tell Airaei was a spoiled brat, who truly did have good intentions but didn't realize she wasn't really helping anyone. Why Dexion liked her had me stumped, but maybe she was nice some of the time.  
  
Which brought me to my other thought: Dexion. I hadn't remembered him, not really. His name had come to mind once while the memories flashed by, but I didn't really remember him. He seemed to be a huge part of her life, though, and everything else in her life that really mattered had shown up in some form. Her father, the arena, her brother. . . Adding all of this factors together a thought had come to mind.  
  
Alucard had shown up in a memory. Only for a second, but he was there. I couldn't help thinking about last night, about him kissing me, and those thoughts kept bringing me back to the same question. Could Alucard and Dexion be the same person?  
  
It made sense, it was possible, but at the same time, highly unlikely. Or was it? I mean, he knew so much about me, about her, and Zeke had mentioned love. . .  
  
I threw that thought out right away. Alucard was a vampire, he couldn't love. Then again, Spike had been in love with Buffy, but was that the same thing? Did it matter? It wasn't as if I wanted him to love me, I certainty didn't feel that way about him.  
  
All my thoughts were jumbled together, so I decide to focus on something else. Flipping through the book I turned back to the prophecy's page. Once again I studied the words.  
  
The exact meaning behind them was basically 'The Slayer will kill the last vampire or die by --' it gave some date that was harder still to translate, but was sometime very soon, as in probably the next week. Time was running out.  
  
The problem I had with the prophecy was that it didn't specify me being the Slayer. It was obvious I was, every time they had used the phrase they had implied it was me, but normally Airaei would have stated which Slayer. I had found vague references to Faith and Buffy, but they had been labeled 'first' and 'second' Slayers, I had been the third.  
  
So maybe if I changed a couple of words, giving the term Slayer a title. . . I would have to talk to Chris. He might have some ideas on it. Quickly I got to my feet and jogged to the kitchen.  
  
"'Ey Chris, what kind of words did Airaei use to identify me in the diary? Just in general" I asked, pulling a chair out to sit in as I grabbed a spare piece of paper.  
  
Chris watched what I was doing as he rattled off ideas. "She never used your name, sometimes she actually used her own. Other times it was just Slayer, or 'the third Slayer'. Once it was the internal Slayer. . . Why're we brainstorming?" he asked.  
  
I held my hand up, asking for a moment as I scribbled down different forms of that sentence, using each of the different names but leaving the rest of the prophecy the same. When I finished with all the different ideas I handed it over to Chris.  
  
"Someone changed the name, that was the problem," I explained. "We just have to figure out which of the others would have worked, without changing any other part of the sentence."  
  
Chris scrolled a finger over the page, his eyes followed it as he read through our options. He pulled out a pen and started crossing off a couple.  
  
"Okay, if we don't change anything but the name, we can knock the options down to 'third Slayer' and 'internal Slayer'. The others wouldn't make any sense," Chris murmured as he looked over the list again. He didn't seem happy with our choices though. "Something's missing," he muttered.  
  
I took the list back, staring at the options. "Yeah, this one says I'm going to die," I said, pointing to the sentence saying 'third Slayer, "and this one says I'll kill the bad guys, but it still says all vampires," I murmured, pointing to the sentence with 'internal Slayer'.  
  
"So, it doesn't change much," Lloyd asked from the sidelines. Chris and I both nodded without saying anything.  
  
"So, maybe there's another way to say one of the two, or maybe we could change one of the others," Chris suggested.  
  
I nodded, thinking about it. "Maybe. . ." I murmured, staring at them. Then and idea came to me. "What if we combined them?" I asked.  
  
Chris looked up. "What?"  
  
"There are ways to combine words, so that they kind of have a double meaning to them. Is there a way to group these together?" I asked, pointing to our choices.  
  
Chris grabbed the paper again, he started scribbling on it, taking notes. I peered over his shoulder as he worked out his ideas. After many failed attempts, he finally put the paper down, pointing to a final sentence.  
  
"There, that's it. It's almost identical to the book but--"  
  
"but it changes the meaning to this word," I said, pointing to the word 'vampire.'  
  
Chris nodded as Lloyd got up and walked over to us. He stared at the paper for a moment before stepping back. "Okay, I don't get it, explain it to me."  
  
Chris smirked, but started to write out the means to each word. "In this case it's fairly simple. You still have the date, right here," he pointed to it, "Then the name" he pointed to it, "and this section right here," he said, pointing to the options, "originally meant she'd kill all the vampires, or die. That's the only part that's changed. It still says she might die, but the vampire part is now saying that she'll kill the last super vampire, or greater vampire, there's an emphasis on the vampire bit."  
  
Lloyd just stared at us for a moment. "What does that mean?"  
  
"It means," I said as I started to grin, "that I'm going to fight off the umber vamps."  
  
Chris nodded, also grinning. "We figured it out," he said happily.  
  
I nodded back. "Yeah, we did. So we're either going to win, or I'm going to get killed." Despite the somewhat pessimistic options I was happy. Sure, I might die, but I had known that since this hole thing started. At least now we had made some progress.  
  
"There's only one thing I don't understand," Lloyd murmured. Chris and I both looked at him. "Why does Airaei use the term 'internal Slayer' when talking about you?"  
  
There wasn't time to answer, because at that moment Andrew burst into the dinning room, carrying two paper bags, stuffed full of food. "Hey guys. Would you mind clearing off the table, or just helping me unload these groceries?" He asked, cheerfully.  
  
I glanced at Lloyd, who shrugged. "Well, we're done here." Nodding agreement I helped move our stuff, then went out to the car to grab some more stuff.  
  
When I got back inside girls were already starting to grab at things. I brought the bags I was carrying into the living room, Chris who was also carrying bags followed me in. After a couple more trips everything was inside and the word had got out. The girls were grabbing one or two things, then heading off.  
  
"It was pretty exciting," Andrew said. "A whole grocery store, just abandoned. Food lying around everywhere. The produce was on its way to funky town, but the other stuff was just--"  
  
"Of for god's sake!" Giles muttered as he entered the room, surveying the scene.  
  
Andrew glanced at him. "Hi Mr. Giles. Okay, I did a little looting, which is technically unethical, but this girls need to eat--"  
  
Giles cut in impatiently. "Andrew, things are getting very dire around here, and we've got more important things to worry about then-- ooh! Jaffa Cakes!" Giles stopped complaining and grabbed whatever Jaffa Cakes were, along with one or two other things.  
  
"The apples still looked pretty good, so everyone make sure they check those out," Andrew announced to everyone.  
  
I ignored the announcement and grabbed at the groceries myself. After choosing a box of chocolate pop tarts and a couple cans of soda I backed off, letting the others get into it as I enjoyed my snacks.  
  
Just then the door opened and Anya, Xander, Willow and Dawn returned. They didn't look like they had a successful trip.  
  
Giles swallowed what he was eating as Xander walked into the living room. "Did you find Buffy?" Giles asked.  
  
"No," Xander answered.  
  
"But you did that spell with the little lights," Andrew said, "The locator."  
  
"It crapped out on us," Anya stated.  
  
"No it didn't. . . not exactly," Dawn disagreed.  
  
"It just took us to an empty house," Willow explained. "She must've moved on already."  
  
"Well, I'm afraid there's rather worse news here," He glanced toward the Potentials, who were all still involved with the food. He led the group of four off to th side for a moment, Andrew tagged along, as did Lloyd, who had joined in with the little group. I watched them talk as I ate my pop tarts.  
  
When they all finished Lloyd came back to us. "They're worried about Faith, might want to go out and look for her and the girls."  
  
"They have been gone long," I agreed. "Any chance of me going?"  
  
"I don't know," Lloyd admitted. "You'll have to ask Giles, I think he's just sending the four of them back out. Besides, we have some wok to--"  
  
"Oh, lay off it. I just helped fix the prophecy, I'm sure I can go on a rescue mention," I muttered.  
  
Lloyd glanced at me, not approving of my interruption. "Fine, go talk to Giles about it," he said a little sourly.  
  
I took the opportunity to avoid further research and made my escape. Giles was still talking to everyone, I stepped in and asked if I might be able to help with the rescue job. Giles agreed that it might be a good idea for another Slayer to tag along.  
  
We all got into a car and Willow drove to the spot the armory was supposed to be at. Right when we got out of the car Willow cast the locator spell, this time to fin Faith. A couple of little lights appeared. They wondered in circles for a moment, then took off in a hurry down one of the tunnels that led to the sewers. I went first, in case we ran into any bad guys.  
  
After a few minutes we heard the sound of people, the lights were headed towards them. Quickening our pace we met up with the group in just over a minute.  
  
The potentials were scratched and bruised and bleeding. A couple of them were dragging an unconscious Faith, the rest were helping each other. Buffy was there in front leading them out of the tunnels. They all looked surprised to see us.  
  
"Buffy! Are you okay?" Willow asked, stepping up to the group.  
  
Buffy nodded, "help the others, we need to get them cleaned up," she ordered. We all got to work helping some walk or lending a hand in carrying someone.  
  
"What happened?" I asked as I helped to support one of the potentials that was limping forward.  
  
"It was a trap," Kennedy said. "There was a bomb, and then. . ."  
  
"Umber vampires," Amanda finished for her. "They were waiting for us."  
  
"Is everyone okay?" Willow asked, she quickly looked Kennedy over, making sure nothing was wrong with her girlfriend. "Who're we missing?"  
  
"Where's Todd?" I asked, for the first time noticing he wasn't here People ignored my question though, everyone was in such a hurry to get the others out. It didn't take us long to get back above ground, but I wasn't giving it my all. Once I had the girl I had been helping in a car I grabbed Kennedy to get her attention.  
  
"What happened to Todd?" I couldn't keep a hint of fear out of my voice.  
  
Kennedy looked uneasy. I'm sure she was tired and didn't want to have to worry about me freaking out, but I wanted to know. "He. . . the explosion just happened, he had been near the front. . . I'm sorry Beth."  
  
Nodding I let go of her arm. This wasn't the time to create a scene, this girls had to get back to the house. Everyone climbed into some vehicle and we were off towards the house. I was silent the hole trip.  
  
The weird part was I didn't think about any of this, I just sat and stared at the window, and realized that it was a beautiful day out. Summer was coming and it was nice. These weren't normal thoughts for me, but they were nicer ones than thinking about how one of your best friends just died in an explosion.  
  
Once we got to the house I once again helped girls move around. Buffy and Willow sent me all around the house for anything we could use as bandages. We ran out of things pretty quickly and finally I just grabbed a few sheets and started tearing them up. It was better than nothing. The watchers were helping, none of them had noticed Todd's absence yet. I didn't know to say anything about it, so I just kept tearing up sheets and bandaging up potentials.  
  
I picked up a stack of newly made bandages and dropped them off to all of the potentials that were helping out around the house. After I finished I ended up in the living room, helping to stop the bleeding of one of the girls. Then Giles and Xander brought in Faith, they both carefully carried her upstairs to Buffy's room. Buffy herself had been helping out.  
  
From what I had managed to pick up from the girls I knew that Faith had gotten caught in a trap, a bomb had gone off, when everyone woke up they gathered those still alive and tried to pull them out. They were attacked though, by umber vamps, and were almost killed, when Buffy shows up carrying this assume new ax thing which she uses to kill the vamps with. Suddenly the day's saved, they're all leaving, and that's about the time we met up with them.  
  
Chris walked into the living room where I was bandaging up one of the girl's arm. He saw me and hustled over. "Hey, Beth, need any help here?" I shook my head, not looking up at him. "Okay, have you seen Todd? Lloyd wanted to talk to him."  
  
"Um. . ." I murmured as I continued to wrap the arm. "I. . . um. . ."  
  
"What?" Chris asked, not seeing any major problems.  
  
I shook my head, pulling the bandage tight as I tied it. "Hey, watch it!" the girl snapped. I muttered an apology as I loosened the knot a little, then stood up, heading towards the basement, trying to find someone else to help.  
  
Chris followed me. "So where is he?" He asked.  
  
I shook my head. "He's. . . not here."  
  
"Where'd he go?"  
  
I hesitated a step. "He. . ." I couldn't say it, I was trying not to let it affect me. Todd was dead, he was dead. I knew people would die in this fight, but. . . I didn't expect someone I knew to get hurt, not seriously hurt anyway.  
  
"Beth, what's wrong?" Chris asked, realizing something was up.  
  
Again I shook my head. "Todd. . . well, Todd. . . didn't make it out."  
  
I caught a quick glance of Chris's face, he looked surprised, I'd bet anything he would have asked another question, but I didn't want to answer it. So I took the cowards way out. I just about ran to the basement, closing the door after me. Leaning against the door I took a shaky breath, hoping more than anything that Chris wouldn't follow me in here. The last thing I wanted was to have to actually talk about this.  
  
He shouldn't have gone. He was a watcher, they were suppose to watch, not go off and fight the bad guys. That was my job, I was a Slayer. If I had gone instead. . . stupid research. If I hadn't had to read that stupid book, or let's take it back a step, if I hadn't even gotten cursed then none of this would have happened. Which of course didn't mean anything, because there was another apocalypse coming and that could kill everyone.  
  
I just never thought it would kill us. Or at least not those of us I cared about. It was selfish of me, I know, but even when I felt bad for the potentials who died, it never truly bothered me. It was sad, but that was it. But now I didn't know what to do. Todd was gone, and that was it. There was nothing I could do about it, I hadn't even been there to help.  
  
Shaking my head I took a step down the stairs and sat down. I couldn't clear my mind, there wasn't anything that could make me stop thinking about Todd being dead. It was too repetitive, just like a song you couldn't get out of your head, only worse. There was a way to get a song out of your head though, just find something more annoying to sing about, or in this case think about.  
  
So now it was a toss up between Zeke and Alucard. Who would be worse to think about?  
  
Knock! Knock! Knock!  
  
I glanced behind me. Someone wanted my attention. "You can come in," I called.  
  
The door opened to show Lloyd waiting in the door way. "You okay?" he asked. I studied him for a moment. He didn't look grief stricken, or sad, or anything. His face was carefully blank, but he sounded genuine in his concern.  
  
"Yeah, I'll be alright," I murmured as I stood back up. Lloyd nodded, standing aside so that I could walk out. I forced a smile as I walked by him. "Do you know where Buffy is? I think I'd like to talk to her for a moment."  
  
"What about?" Lloyd asked.  
  
I shrugged. "Well, we are in the middle of an apocalypse. I think I'll start with that," I murmured.  
  
He smirked. "Yeah, that's a good start. She's in her room with Faith."  
  
Smiling reassuringly I walked past him on the way to the stairs, but I paused before I reached them to turn back to Lloyd. "I'm sorry, you knew him longer than me, I know it has to hurt-"  
  
"Don't worry about it," Lloyd cut me off. He turned away so I couldn't see his face. "I'll be fine, you go have your talk." That was his version of a dismissal, and I took it as such.  
  
Buffy and Faith were still in Buffy's room when I walked in. Buffy was standing by a dresser and Faith was lying on the bed. I don't think she was strong enough to stand up long as of yet. In a few hours she'd be better, but for now she was a little under the weather. They were smiling so I assumed their conversation was going well.  
  
"Hey, if it isn't Slayer number three," Faith said as I walked in.  
  
"So I keep hearing," I murmured. My eyes shifted to the red and black ax thing Buffy was carrying. It was a little scythe like, and the handle was actually a wooden sword. There was another place to hold it near the ax head. "So that's what they're talking about, looks kinda cool."  
  
Buffy glanced down at the ax. "Yeah, it does, doesn't it?"  
  
"What's it for?" I asked.  
  
She shrugged "Willow's working on it right now, but for now I just know that Caleb didn't want me having it, and that it's a weapon for Slayers."  
  
I raised an eyebrow. "For Slayers? How does that work?"  
  
"It's hard to explain, here, you'll see," Buffy said as she handed it to me.  
  
I took it by the handle, and it was like a buzz went up my arm. The ax carried a feeling with it, a sort of power. I felt confident, sure of myself. It felt like it belonged to me, like it was made just for me. With that in mind I handed it back. Anything made just for you was a lie, or at least normally it was.  
  
"Nifty."  
  
Buffy smirked. "Something like that."  
  
There was an awkward silence. The three of us hadn't talked alone before, and when we had talked it was all business, normally about us going to attack something, or me filling them in on my vampire problems. In a more casual setting none of us knew what to say.  
  
"So how're things going with you?" Buffy asked.  
  
That was a good question, and it took me a moment to answer it. I didn't want to bring Todd into it, for fear of uncomfortable conversation, so I decided to stick with my other problems. "I think I'd be fine if I leave out all the vampire crap that's going on," I murmured.  
  
Both Faith and Buffy looked a little confused. "What vampire problems, I haven't seen a lot of vampire in town recently," Buffy stated.  
  
"Don't worry about it, just a few aquantinces of mine showing up, problems with the Boss and all. I'm handling it, sort of," I said.  
  
"Are you sure? If this is a big problem we might be able to do-"  
  
"Look Buffy, it's nice of you to offer, but really, it'll be okay. You have to worry about the First, I have my problems," I said, cutting her off. "I'll help you fight your fight, but I've got to take care of mine on my own." The words felt like they were true, almost as if I really couldn't have anyone else helping.  
  
Buffy didn't look happy with me. "It's not just my fight, it's the world's fight. If the First gets past us we're all dead."  
  
I shrugged, almost uncaring. "It might be the world's fight, but I still have to live long enough to be in it," I pointed out.  
  
"You've been doing a good job so far," Faith pointed out.  
  
I bit my lip not to say anything. Sure, I had kept myself alive, but I hadn't been doing a good job. If I had Todd wouldn't have been dead. Surely there would have been something I could have done to help him.  
  
"Look, Beth, I understand where you're coming from," Buffy started, "but you need to lay off on the 'old aquantinces' evil vampire bit."  
  
Frowning I looked up at her. "Sure, you know where I'm coming from. You've fought off vampires and saved the world a few times. Honestly though, I think my scenario's worse than yours was. There's some unknown master vampire out to get me who just happens to have my best friend working for me and my past life lover use to be his best man." That last part surprised me a bit, I hadn't known that for sure, but it felt true.  
  
Buffy and Faith were just staring at me. "What?" Buffy asked for both of them. I just shook my head and turned around to open the door and leave. All of a sudden Buffy grabbed my shoulder. "what's going on?" she asked, demanding the answer.  
  
I shrugged her hand off. "You know what, I don't know. I'm trying to figure that out. Everything's confusing and it's none of your business. You deal with your emotional problems and I'll take care of mine, and then we can both go off and save the world. How does that sound?"  
  
"My problems aren't your business and they're not getting in our way," Buffy pointed out.  
  
"The fact that you were screwing my brother, and are still somewhat attached to him does matter just a little, Buff," I stated mostly out of spite. She had ticked me off and now I was just angry.  
  
Buffy took a step back, not in defeat, but more out of indifference. "Fine. Whatever. You go and keep yourself safe from the big bad boss. We'll be here trying to save the world." That caught me by surprise, and I could only stare for the first few moments. Buffy stared back, firm and unyielding. She had made some point, which I was still trying to figure out, but it was an important point.  
  
One thing was obvious. The conversation was over and there wasn't anything left to say. Without another word I turned and left the room. This time she didn't stop me.  
  
I wanted to talk to someone about this. I almost needed a second opinion. Buffy had basically told me that she didn't think I cared about the group, she thought I was worried solely about the Boss. Was that true? I didn't think so. It mattered to me what everyone else thought, though. We're always told that we shouldn't care what other people think of us, but this was something that mattered.  
  
Sighing I walked downstairs as I thought over everything I had read in the journal today. Nothing really important was coming to mind, except that I had to remember to talk to Alucard. The problem with that was that I hadn't seen him around, I don't think he was staying in the house. There were plenty of other places in town he could spend the night in, so it shouldn't be surprising that he might stay somewhere else for a day.  
  
I took a seat on the couch, trying to smooth over my thoughts. It didn't work. I was so tired of all the emotional problems, the last thing I should have done was fight with Buffy, that didn't help anyone, it just left me feeling crappy. That and very tired. The emotional strain had been getting to me, and I just wanted to sleep.  
  
Sleep at least was easy to come by. In moments I was already dreaming.  
  
~  
  
Airaei was just standing there. She was no longer some secret voice, but instead herself, or her human self. She had taken a shape to talk to me this time so at last I was talking to a face, even if the face was my own.  
  
I need to remember.  
  
*It's not time.*  
  
What else are we waiting for? I need to know. If you won't let me remember then what can I do?  
  
*What you have to. You're just like the others. Be just like the others. You don't have to go on your own. You don't have to be alone in this.*  
  
I heard that Slayers are always alone.  
  
Airaei shook her head, then spoke softly. *Not always.*  
  
I smirked.  
  
You were then, I am now. Buffy and Faith. . . we're always alone, always on our own. Slayers have been set apart sense we were created.  
  
Airaei smiled, somewhat sadly. *No, not always. We chose to be alone. It's a choice, in most cases the right choice.* she paused for a moment. *you have to make that choice.*  
  
When?  
  
*I can't tell you. You'll know when it's time.*  
  
But I need-  
  
*You need nothing.*  
  
~  
  
I woke up with a jerk. Something had happened in my sleep, and with it came the expected headache, this time worse than normal. It felt like someone was pounding in my brain and refused to stop. Growling to myself I got to my feet and stumbled towards the kitchen.  
  
I stopped in the doorway when I saw Alucard standing in a corner. He was just standing, not heating up a package of blood or anything else. He glanced up when I came in and his eyes widened in surprise. "I thought you were sleeping," he murmured.  
  
I nodded. "I was."  
  
"If you want I can leave," he said softly.  
  
Shaking my head I said, "That's okay, I just needed some medicine." He nodded slowly and I forced myself to look away from him. I focused all my attention on what I was doing as I pulled the bottle out of the cupboard and found a water bottle in some of the extra food supplies from yesterday. After swallowing the pills I glanced at Alucard, then quickly looked away. He was standing there, staring carefully strait ahead of himself. Neither of us were comfortable.  
  
Instead of striking up a conversation I left the room, walking by the back door as I headed for the living room. The door opened though and I stopped in my tracks. Spike walked in looking tired and a little bit pissed.  
  
"Spike," I said, he glanced up at me.  
  
"Hey kid, what have you been up to?" Spike asked.  
  
I shrugged. "Oh, the norm. Getting head aches and dealing with potentials, and you?"  
  
"Girl troubles," he said with a half smile.  
  
"Sounds about right."  
  
"What's been happening here?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing much. Buffy's back, Faith got into a tight spot. One of the watcher's died and I don't think any of the other Slayers like me much," I said it all as if it were nothing.  
  
Spiked simply nodded. "Right then. I'd expect nothing less happening in Sunnydale. If we all live through this we're really going to have to relocate."  
  
That made me grin. "I'm thinking something on the east coast, I haven't been there in awhile," I suggested.  
  
"Maybe New York. It might be a little crowded, but it's not a bad place," Spike added.  
  
"Do you think Buffy would go for it?"  
  
He shrugged. "Dunno, she'd have her work cut out for her. That place is swarming with demons," Spike pointed out.  
  
"And Sunnydale's a good old walk in the park?" I asked.  
  
"Good point."  
  
Spike glanced out the window, then around the corner into the living room. "It's a bit late, shouldn't you be sleeping?" he asked.  
  
I grinned. "No rest for the wicked."  
  
He frowned. "You better not be getting into trouble. I don't have time to deal with all that."  
  
"No worries, I'll take care of it," I said.  
  
"Right then, if you say so," Spike muttered, clearly not believing me. "I'm going downstairs. You stay out of trouble," he said sternly. I gave him my best innocent smile and he walked off muttering about how he was going to have to send someone to rescue me when I get into a mess.  
  
I watched him go with a smile. It felt good having talked to Spike. It might not have been a long conversation, but it had been such a long time sense we had talked that just exchanging a few words made me feel better. So much better in fact that I felt like taking on another challenge, or at least getting one out of the way.  
  
Taking a deep breath I turned and walked back into the kitchen where Alucard was still just standing. He watched me as I came back in. For just a second he looked surprised to see me, then the look quickly vanished behind the emotionless mask he was using. We stared at each other for a long moment as I tried to figure out a good way to start this. Finally I settled on something simple.  
  
"We've got to talk."  
  
~  
  
Yay! Finished. *big sigh* It took long enough. I had to delete four pages cause it sounded really bad, and I'm still not sure I like the rewrite, but it's defiantly better. So, anywho, two more chapters! And one week to write them. . . -.- Wish me luck.  
  
Maude: Okay, what can I say? I lied.  
  
Ninii the Lucil33t: when I first read your review it made me so happy! Ah, I'm smiling again just thinking about it. I know how you feel! And the ending? *thinks a moment* plot twist coming, plus some new changes are gonna be thrown in. . . I had it planned, but I'm changing plans a little. *shrugs* it'll be what it is. Rambling is good! Thanks for the review! 


	18. Hey

Hey, sorry I haven't been able to get a chapter up. I'm currently in California and I'm leaving for Japan tomorrow, so I've got the next chapter written, but fanfiction wouldn't let me upload it, so this is just an apology. Hopefully my sister will be able to get it up. If not then I'll try again in six weeks. (I had an ending to the story but I REALY don't like it, so I'm hoping she doesn't put it up.)  
  
Yeah, just thought you should know.  
  
~Rave 


	19. Chapter 18

Special note: First, I'm back *waves hello to everyone* Japan was fun. Second, I made some important changes in ch. 16 during Liz's talk with the watchers. Sorry I forgot to include it at first.  
  
During "Chosen"  
  
Chapter 18  
  
"You're right," Alucard stated, matter-of-fact.  
  
"You're Dexion," I said in the same monotone.  
  
Alucard flinched, he hadn't expected that, or at least hadn't expected it right away. Surprising him would increase the chances of me getting an honest answer, so I asked bluntly, and I'll deal with the answer when it comes.  
  
"You finally read that book?" he asked, regaining his composure.  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, Lloyd wanted me to see if I found out anything with the prophecy."  
  
"Did you?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah, we figure out that-- wait, you're not changing the topic here," I said, catching myself before I went off in another direction.  
  
Smirking he shrugged. "Yeah, I'm Dexion."  
  
Mentally I took a step back. Honestly I hadn't expected him to answer if the answer was yes. While I maintained a somewhat calm appearance my mind was going in circles at full speed, getting me absolutely nowhere. And underneath all the confusion lingered a thought, he was my lover. He was Dexion. That should mean something, and in a way it did, but it didn't feel like it meant anything to me. To Airaei and whatever part of her was in me it meant the world, but to me? I was just confused.  
  
"I see," I said, knowing that I had to say something.  
  
His eyes bore into me as he tried to guess my thoughts. "I answered your question. Now you answer mine."  
  
This could go bad, but. . . "Sure."  
  
"We kissed," he hesitated for a moment, not sure of himself. "Because of that. . . well. . . I'm not sure how to ask. . . how did you feel about it?" Now he looked quite nervous as he avoided my gaze.  
  
I was actually somewhat prepared for the question seeing as how I had asked it myself on several occasions. "It was. . . nice, kind of."  
  
Alucard turned back to me, surprised. "Kind of?"  
  
"One moment you're fighting Zeke, then next you're kissing me. I don't care how good of a kisser you are, that's awkward," I said quickly and without thinking.  
  
Alucard was grinning. "Did you just say I was a good kisser?"  
  
I glared at him. "That's not the point--"  
  
"I think it's a very good point," he said, teasing me. "You think I'm a good kisser."  
  
Sighing I gave up trying to argue with him. "You've had a few years to get good at it," I pointed out.  
  
He looked almost smug, but at the same time was relaxed and at ease. Apparently me not being pissed at him made him feel better. "Your turn for a question."  
  
Alternating questions? While in theory it sounds good it rarely works with me. "Why did you kiss me? Honestly."  
  
Pausing for a moment Alucard thought this through. "Well, Zeke cast a spell, more to be annoying than anything I think."  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, he seemed rather peeved for some reason."  
  
Shrugging Alucard continued, "Boss can do that, but anyway he cast a spell. Obviously it was a lust spell, not quite sure which one, there are a couple to choose from, but suddenly I needed to touch you." He was looking away again.  
  
There was awkward silence for a moment before I said, "Zeke had mentioned something about--"  
  
"My question," Alucard butted in. See, alternating questions doesn't work.  
  
"Fine, ask away," I muttered.  
  
He had to think up a question. "What was it you found out from the book?" he inquired.  
  
"Oh, um, the prophecy, we figure out what was wrong with it," I stated.  
  
"What was it?" he asked.  
  
I grinned. "My question." His eyes narrowed but he nodded for me to go ahead. "Zeke had mentioned something about love. What do you think he meant by that?"  
  
Behold the awkward silence that plagued this conversation. We were just staring at each other, and it was Alucard's turn to speak, and he wasn't saying anything. All we were missing was an annoying dropping noise in the background. If only the sink leaked. . .  
  
"I. . ." He started, then he shook his head. "I've been thinking about that," his voice was soft and if there was anything to distract you from it you probably wouldn't have heard him right.  
  
"Back when. . . well, when Airaei was alive, things were complicated. I loved her, I loved her with all of my heart. But I was human, that wasn't that big of a deal," Alucard began. "Lerians never really liked humans. We were inferior. We could be their servants, but never equals, and heaven forbid one of them would befriend us.  
  
"But Airaei was a Slayer, the Slayer. She was born the night a Slayer died, and ever sense childhood she had the strength, the skills, she just skipped the potential stage. Her clan knew that she would interact with humans, she was their protector. How ever she was the Lerians' protector too. So instead of letting her seek out vampires they had her join the games.  
  
"The arena was a favorite among both Lerian and human. The Lerians seeing nothing wrong with the death of humans didn't mind watching them slaughter each other. When Airaei became a favorite among the crowd they were proud. She was stronger, faster, smarter than everyone she faced.  
  
"While the Lerians celebrated having a celebrity among them, her opponents didn't like it. There were several people who owned gladiators that were suffering from her victories. They sent everything they had at her, and she defeated every monster and man sent her way.  
  
"One of them, Arius , hated her. Literally, he despised Airaei. He sent demon after demon to kill her, he set traps that no one should have lived through, but she did. So he resorted to something else. Instead of operating inside the arena he hired a vampire who had his own reasons for wanting Airaei out of the way.  
  
"The vampire thought up a simple yet ingenious plan. He didn't attack Airaei directly, but instead changed one of her friends. He sent his new vampire to kill her, and it worked."  
  
Alucard stopped his story there. He was looking at the floor, his arms crossed over his chest. Troubled was the word I'd use to describe him at this moment.  
  
"Was it you?" I asked.  
  
He glanced up at me. "My question," he said, back to monotone. I looked away, almost embarrassed for asking. "Liz," I looked back at him, "You're right. It was me."  
  
All the questions that were buzzing in my head faded away. I wasn't scared of Alucard, but it was unsettling. He was watching me closely, trying to figure out my reactions to what he had said. I felt it would be good to change the topic from him killing me.  
  
"So was that why he mentioned love? Because you use to love me?" I asked, going back to the original question.  
  
Alucard sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't think so. . ." he muttered. "I think it has something to do with more current feelings. I'm just not sure exactly which ones, or how true the love part is."  
  
"I think," I said, "in my next life, I'm going to be someone painfully boring."  
  
There was a brief pause before Alucard started laughing. It was a nervous laugh caused from pent up emotions, but it was also genuine. "I can't see you as being boring."  
  
I shrugged. "That's the point. It'll be different. Different and lacking in fights and deaths."  
  
"That's for sure," Alucard agreed. "But I still couldn't see you as any one but a Slayer. For the most part you're a good person."  
  
"Being a good person isn't enough."  
  
"No. It's not."  
  
"Do you think we'll win?" I asked, looking up at him.  
  
"Which fight?" He asked.  
  
I specified, "The First." I had been thinking the Boss, but I didn't want to ask that yet.  
  
"Sure. Three Slayers have to be able to do something," Alucard stated.  
  
I shook my head. "I don't know if it's enough. Honestly, I think we need more."  
  
"What're you saying, we kill the three of you a few times then bring you back to life?" He asked.  
  
I shook my head. "No, I'd rather not die, but I'm sure there's something else we can do."  
  
"Let Buffy figure it out. That's what she's good at, right?" he asked.  
  
I hesitated before answering. "That's the thing," I said softly. "I've been letting Buffy figure it out. Then I was letting Faith figure it out. I'm a Slayer too, shouldn't I be doing something?"  
  
Alucard adjusted his weight for a moment, considering what I said. "I think you're just feeling left out. Just because you're not making command decisions doesn't mean you're not doing anything."  
  
"But that's it. I'm not doing anything. So I read a book and solve a riddle. That doesn't help anyone."  
  
He frowned. "That could save you life. Who knows, there might be something in there for you," he seemed positive on that fact.  
  
Sighing I tried to figure out a way to explain how I was feeling. "It might save my life. But it's not helping anyone else."  
  
"You can only do so much Liz," he pointed out.  
  
"It wasn't enough," I muttered looking at my feet.  
  
"Wasn't enough?" he asked.  
  
"Todd died."  
  
He paused for a beat. "When?"  
  
"This morning. He went with Faith and I stayed back because the watchers wanted me to research stuff," I murmured.  
  
"Oh," he said, suddenly understanding. "You think you could have saved him? Maybe killed the guy who got him?"  
  
"It was a bomb," I muttered.  
  
He shrugged, not caring. "Quit being all moppy, it wasn't your fault. Blame it on luck, or the First, or Faith, or whoever the hell you want, but it wasn't your fault."  
  
My eyes narrowed. "You sound so sure, how would you know?"  
  
He stepped away from the counter and walked over to me until he was only about a foot away.  
  
"Because you would have done everything to save him. Fate put you in a different place, it had nothing to do with you." His voice was soothing, gentle. He meant what he was saying, and it was nice to hear it. I could almost believe he was right.  
  
Alucard took half a step closer, his hand moving to my face. Gently he wiped away a tear I hadn't known had been there. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to make the tears stop, but they only flowed faster.  
  
"It's okay, liz," he murmured, pulling me into a hug. I let him hold me for a moment as I cried, my face buried into his shoulder. Even after the tears stopped I stood there in his arms, not even being sure of why.  
  
Finally I pulled away, wiping my eyes to make sure I wasn't crying. Alucard took a step back to give me space, but stayed close enough to touch.  
  
"Thank you," I whispered, taking a step back myself.  
  
Alucard merely nodded, his face once again expressionless. "Are you okay? If you need something I--"  
  
"I'm fine," I interrupted. "I think I just want to go to sleep."  
  
He nodded. "Sounds good."  
  
I wasn't sure what to do now. Just walking out didn't seem right, surely it would make him feel bad, but just saying good night didn't seem right either.  
  
Thinking about it wasn't working, and it was taking too long. We were both uncomfortable just standing here. So I did the first thing that came to mind next.  
  
Quickly I took a step forward and kissed him on the cheek, then I left the kitchen as quickly as I could without looking back.  
  
I had to be bright red as I got back on the couch. Thank god I was still tired, it gave me something to try to do. It took awhile, but when I finally got to sleep I had a fairly normal dream. It had something to do with pumpkins houses, Fairy watchers, mice, and a vampire prince.  
  
~  
  
"Well, what do you think?" Buffy asked.  
  
We all stared at her for a beat, taking in what she had just said. Her plan was. . . ingenious. Completely insane and inconceivable, but pretty damn good.  
  
"That depends," Xander he said, "Are you kidding?"  
  
"You don't think it's a good idea?" Buffy asked insecurely.  
  
Faith hesitated before answering. "It's pretty radical, B."  
  
"It's a lot more than that. Buffy what you're talking about flies in the face of everything we've ever-that every generation has ever tone in the fight against evil," Giles stated as a smile crept onto his face. "I think it's bloody brilliant."  
  
"You mean that?" Buffy asked, she was sincere with the question. Giles's answer meant something to her.  
  
"If you want my opinion," Giles said. They shared a moment of smiling.  
  
Buffy was still smiling warmly. "I really do."  
  
I grinned. "I agree with Giles, this is a kick ass plan."  
  
Willow didn't look so sure. "Whoa hey, not to poop on the party, but I'm the guy who's gonna have to pull this off," she pointed out.  
  
"It is beaucoup d'mojo. . ." said Faith.  
  
"Is it even possible?" Dawn wondered.  
  
"I believe it is," Giles stated, "if what Buffy had told us about this weapon in true."  
  
"Not to careen back to the me subject, but. . . I'm. . . this is beyond anything I've ever done. This is a total loss of control, and not in a nice, wholesome, my girl-friend-has-a-pierced-tongue way," Willow said, getting more nervous by the moment.  
  
Buffy looked at her reassuringly. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you could do it."  
  
"I'm just not sure I'm stable enough to-"  
  
"Oh, sure y'are," Anya said with her pessimistic cheerfulness. "You're as stable as the molecules in Mister Fantastic's uniform, am I right?"  
  
"Oh, you just couldn't have picked a worse example," Xander muttered.  
  
Giles ignored their comments. "You're going to do this, Willow. Get the coven on the line, see how they can help. I'll-"  
  
"Oh!" Dawn said suddenly. We all looked at her. "Pierced tongue," she muttered.  
  
Quickly Buffy stepped in. "Dawn should do the research thing."  
  
"Yes you-" Giles started.  
  
"It's cool. Watcher Junior to the library," Dawn muttered. Before leaving she looked at Buffy for a moment. "You get to save the world, I get more homework."  
  
"You could have been in Oxnard," Buffy said.  
  
"I'll start digging up my sources," Giles said. "Literally, actually; there's one or two people I need to talk to who are dead."  
  
"Come on. Let's go assemble the cannon fodder," Anya said to Xander.  
  
"We're not calling them that, sweetie," Xander said.  
  
Anya shrugged. "Not to their faces, what am I, insensitive?"  
  
I turned to Buffy before I followed the two out. "Don't worry. It'll go terrific," then to Willow. "No pressure. We're just saving the world. It's nothing new." Then I walked out.  
  
Everyone I saw was sent to the living room, including my watchers who hadn't sat in on the meeting. They were staying in the house now with the rest of us. I ran down to the basement and called up the girls who were training with Alucard and called everyone up. Alucard saw I was acting happy and asked what was up. I told him Buffy had a plan that would work. He looked skeptical.  
  
We went upstairs and joined the watchers. I squeezed into a seat on the couch, pushing one of the girls a little so that I had room. Alucard stood next to the couch, leaning against the wall, while the watchers had grabbed chairs from the dining room to sit in.  
  
Buffy came into the room, stepping into the little open space that was left. She looked us over. There were too many of us packed too close with her in the middle, but she still looked confident. All inspirational and sergeant like.  
  
"I hate being here. I hate that you have to be here. I hate that there's evil, that it's growing, and I hate that I was chosen to fight it. I wish, a whole lot of the time, that I hadn't been," she smiled wryly, throwing a glance to Kennedy who risked a little grin herself. "but this isn't about wishes. This is about choices. I never had one. I was chosen. And I accept that. I'm not asking you to accept anything. I'm asking you to make your own choice. I believe we can beat this evil-not when it comes, not after its army is ready, but now. Tomorrow morning I'm opening the Seal. I'm going down into the Hellmouth and I'm going to finish it once and for all.  
  
"I've got strong allies: warriors, charms, sorcerers, and I'll need them all. But I'll also need you. Every single one of you. So now you're asking yourself, What makes this different? What makes us anything more than a bunch of girls getting picked off one by one? It's true none of you has the power Faith, Beth and I have. Even if one of us died we can't even be sure that the next girl called is in this room. That's the rule. So here's the part where you make a choice." She took a moment to let this sink in before continuing.  
  
"What if you could have this power? Now. All of you. In every generation one Slayer is born because a bunch of guys that died thousands of years ago made up the rule. They were powerful men," she paused, pointing to Willow. "This woman is more powerful than all of them combined.  
  
"So I say we change the rules. I say my power should be our power. Tomorrow Willow will use the essence of this scythe that contains the energy and history of the Slayers to change our destiny. From now on, every girl in the world who might be a Slayer, Will be a Slayer. Every girl who could have the power, will have the power. Who can stand up, will stand up. Every one of you, and girls we've never known, and generations to come. . . they will have strength they never dreamed of, and more than that, they will have each other. Slayers. Every one of us. Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?"  
  
The room was silent. No one new what to say. It was a big speech, a huge suggestion. All of the girls in this room would be Slayers. Instead of three we'd have over thirty. If nothing else we could take down a huge amount of the umber vamps before dying. It could work, it would work. We didn't exactly have any other choices.  
  
The potentials didn't move until the words sunk in. Gradually I saw eyes widen, wistful thoughts played across their faces. They could be Slayers. Not the next Slayer, not the one and only chosen to fight the battles. No, they'd be one of many. One of an army. They could know what it was like.  
  
I almost pitied them. Sometimes I wished I was just normal. It would be easier, except I would have been a prissy girl in fluffy dresses, but at the time that hadn't seemed like a bad life style. Then again, if they were all Slayers, that would be kind of normal. Who knows how many there really were? Tons, I'm sure.  
  
But if it worked. . .  
  
"Well, hell, that's an idea," Alucard murmured.  
  
Jordan nodded. "The kind of power it would take to do that spell. . ." Willow heard him and glanced over. He quickly added, "Willow could do it."  
  
Lloyd hid a smile as Willow looked away, now talking to Kennedy. "It should be interesting," he stated. "And what a fight. I suppose that means we'll have to be part of it," he said, not liking the obligation.  
  
"I've seen you fight, you can do fine," I stated. "Give Chris something to throw and Jordan some pixie dust and things will go just swell."  
  
Jordan glared. "I don't use pixie dust."  
  
I shrugged, getting to my feet and stretching. "Uh-huh. Well, what ever you call the magical supplies you use. . . doesn't matter. Just cast some spell and blow things up."  
  
"Are they even going to be fighting near the umber vamps?" Alucard asked.  
  
Hadn't thought about that. "I'm sure Buffy will plan it out. She has all night."  
  
"Someone will have to fight outside the hellmouth, to keep everything from escaping into the city," Lloyd pointed out. "I'm sure we could be used on top."  
  
"Yes, that sounds good," Jordan said. "Now if you don't mind, I have to go see Giles about some 'pixie dust'."  
  
Chris nodded, muttering to himself, "And I need to pick up. . ." he mumbles became incoherent as he walked off, rambling off a list of items.  
  
We watched them go, Lloyd smiling softly. "Todd would have said something now," he said.  
  
I nodded. "Yeah. Something funny, probably."  
  
He sighed. "I guess I should help with the research." I nodded and he stared at me for a moment before nodding back. "You get some rest. You have a big fight tomorrow." And he walked off as well, leaving me and Alucard behind.  
  
"So the Slayer dumps all of this on us. Tells us we're going to fight tomorrow. Goes off to do plans, then everyone expects us to get some rest while we're all on edge?" Alucard asked skeptically.  
  
I smirked. "Yeah. Basically."  
  
"There's no way I'm sleeping tonight," he stated.  
  
"And times going to go by rather slowly," I added. We stood for a moment. "That really sucks."  
  
He nodded. "It does."  
  
"So how do we want to kill the next twenty or so hours?" I asked.  
  
Alucard glanced around the room at all of the potentials who were left. "I could train with them some more, but they'll be too anxious to learn anything. Besides, they have all that natural ability," he said. "So, seeing as there's nothing productive we can do I suggest we raid what's left of the ice cream."  
  
"Is it still good?" I asked, thinking that was a great idea.  
  
He shrugged. "I think so. The freezer stays cold if you don't open it." We both went to check it out. I opened the freezer and we pulled out a few things. The final list: two frozen pizza, a box of ice cream, the last three hot pockets and these enchilada things which were probably kind of nasty tasting, being the equivalent of instant food, but Mexican didn't sound bad.  
  
The house had a gas stove so we were able to still cook everything, and we spent the next twenty or so minutes cooking as we occasionally ate a spoonful of ice-cream while talking about nothing. After mentioning the usual whether and recent events we debated on who would kill the most vamps out of the group of potentials. Alucard started listing off the girls he worked with, most of which I didn't know. When he was finished I asked who the worst fighter was, and once he told me I stated that she was going to win the death count.  
  
When we were finished cooking girls seemed to pop up out of nowhere to grab food, so Alucard and I quickly loaded our plates and moved out of the way. By then what we hadn't eaten from the ice cream was almost melted so we threw it away.  
  
"Okay, so that killed a little time," Alucard stated.  
  
I took a bite of pizza. "Uh-huh, I 'eard Andreu's gonna start up a game 'f D'n'D," I said while chewing.  
  
Alucard rolled his eyes. "It helps if you swallow the food."  
  
After swallowing it I answered, "But that's not as much fun."  
  
"But we can all understand you."  
  
Smirking I took another bite, this time finishing it before talking. "So, want to join the game?"  
  
Again he rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I'm not a geek like that."  
  
"No, you're a different kind of geek. But there's nothing wrong with a good RPG," I stated.  
  
He shrugged. "Remember, you're saying that Andrew will run a good RPG. Do you really believe that?"  
  
He had a point. "Not really."  
  
"Didn't think so."  
  
We ate in silence for a moment.  
  
"I wish we could just get on with it," I muttered. "This waiting's going to drive us crazy."  
  
"I'm sure you're not the only one who thinks that," Alucard pointed out. "Besides, it's not like we should all rush to our deaths."  
  
"I thought you said we were going to win," I said as I glared at him accusingly.  
  
He shrugged. "We will, but someone's gotta die. That's just the way things are. You can't fight a war without casualties."  
  
"Actually, there was a couple of wars where no one died," I pointed out.  
  
He glared for a moment. "That doesn't matter," he said. "This one will have deaths."  
  
I shrugged. "Yeah, but let's not think about that," I suggested, getting to my feet.  
  
"Where're you going?"  
  
"To find some cards, I'll be back in a bit."  
  
~  
  
I held up a card so Alucard could see it. He snatched it from my head, looking at it for a few moments then putting it back in the deck and shuffling a few times. When he was done he handed the deck back to me and waited.  
  
I just stared at him skeptically. "I don't know which card it was," I pointed out.  
  
He only grinned. "I got your last three, you can get this one."  
  
"No, your just psychic or something," I pointed out with a shrug. "I honestly have no way of knowing what the freaking card was, so can we switch to a different game?"  
  
Grinning at me Alucard grabbed the deck from my hands and spread it out face up on the floor between us. I watched as he arranged the cards so that I could see all of them. "Trust me. What I did had nothing to do with magic," He murmured, his grin still in place. He glanced at me for a moment, pausing his display of the cards. "I just cheated. I could follow the card in the deck. You have to do it the hard way though."  
  
Glaring at him I leaned back against the wall I was up against. We weren't the only ones in the living room at the moment and most of it was already claimed by other people. Alucard and I had claimed our own corner though so I had a wall to use. Alucard just sat there, perfectly content with what he had at the moment.  
  
"So you're just really old and good at cards so you don't have to do the hard work?" I muttered the question. "That's so not fair."  
  
Smirking he finished with the cards. Leaning back he put his arms out for support. "Hey, I have complete faith that if you try to you can pick out the card."  
  
"Mmhmm. On my fifty-second guess I reckon."  
  
"Come on Liz, you're not giving yourself credit," he insisted. "You're tuned into all that mystical junk. It should be able to show which card to grab. Besides you were the one who pulled it out of the deck."  
  
I sighed, shaking my head. "Your card games suck."  
  
"They kill time," he pointed out.  
  
I glanced at the clock. It was three in the morning and most of the household was still awake. Many of the girls were sitting up and awake, just thinking. I didn't envy them. Cards were better than nothing.  
  
"Can you give me a hint?" I asked, mimicking puppy dog eyes.  
  
Shaking his head Alucard answered, "Nope."  
  
Sighing defeat I glanced at the cards, now laid out in a neat row. You could see what each card was easily. Maybe I could just guess or point to a random card. If I got it wrong then at least I'd be proving myself right. Then again maybe I could just think about it.  
  
So I did. I sat and stared at the cards to no avail. I risked a glance at Alucard who was still sitting casually as he waited. No help was coming from him. What was he thinking anyway, that some mystical hand would point out the card to me? Or maybe there was suppose to be some meaning I should recognize that would make the jack of diamonds more important than an ace of spades. I never played the 'which card is this?' guessing game. I always got the wrong answer.  
  
There was no way for me to make a good answer. Perhaps I should just close my eyes and point. I had the feeling that Alucard was actually suspecting me to do that. Glancing at him again I couldn't tell for sure, but did it matter?  
  
Still facing him I closed my eyes and pointed randomly. Opening my eyes I saw what I had pointed to. The four of hearts. Frowning I moved my hand three cards right, then four more, then back past the four strait to the card on it's left, finally pulling out the three of spades.  
  
"That's your choice?" Alucard asked, taking a closer look at the card I'd removed.  
  
I hesitated a moment before answering in a carefree voice, "Sure."  
  
He smiled at me. It wasn't a grin, but at the same time it was teasing me. "What, don't like hearts?" he asked.  
  
I shrugged. "Doesn't really matter."  
  
"Well, you didn't choose it, so that should mean something," He stated.  
  
Frowning I asked, "What does it matter? I thought you're just looking to see if I could get the right card."  
  
He shrugged as he set about to explain. "Well, you could have been right," he started, "but that never mattered. I was just curious about what you would chose." I frowned at him and he just smiled back. "Besides," he added happily as he picked up the four of hearts, "you were right. Then you changed your answer."  
  
My eyes narrowed. "You've got to be kidding."  
  
"Not at all, this was the card," he said, crossing his right hand over his heart to show he wasn't lying. "It's not my fault you don't like hearts. You could have been right."  
  
"Uh-huh, ri-ight."  
  
He shrugged. "Fine, don't believe me. It's your choice." With those as his last words he scooped up the deck, shoving the four back into it and picking up the three that he had left on the ground. He looked at it for a moment, before looking back at me as he slid it easily in the deck. "How about a different game?"  
  
I frowned at him, not sure exactly what he was thinking. What I was sure of was that I was tired of cards. We'd been playing for hours and I'd had enough of it. "How about something else?" I asked hopefully.  
  
Alucard barely shrugged as an answer. When I didn't say anything else he looked up at me as if waiting for suggestions. Not having anything to suggest I just stared back at him silently.  
  
"So we have what, four hours to kill?" Alucard asked as he glanced at the clock. He sounded close to bored. I guess I wasn't the only one running out of ideas.  
  
Groaning I let myself fall over to the floor. Alucard smirked at me as I lied there for a moment. "God, wanna know what sucks? I'm not even slightly tired. It's like I'm running on caffeine without the caffeine. I actually feel like doing something."  
  
"It's called adrenaline," Alucard said in a teacher like voice. "That's what's keeping you awake right now. It'll probably fade about the time you have to start doing things. By the time the fight comes you'll be so stressed from it you won't be at top performance."  
  
I glared at him. "Why don't you tell everyone that cause god knows they're not scarred enough already."  
  
"I'm not trying to scare you, Liz," Alucard stated softly, glancing at the rest of the room.  
  
I rolled over a couple times so that I could lie on my back, this in turn brought me closer to Alucard. He leaned forward to stare down at me, waiting for my answer. "I know you're not trying to scare people, and that you're bored. I'm almost surprised you haven't ditched us already and ran off to save yourself. But things are getting rather stressful and I just want to do something useful. Cards and talking. . . it's just not feeling important, that's all."  
  
Alucard nodded as he leaned back again. "So we want to feel important and as if we were doing something useful. That plus we don't want to wait for the feeling," he said, almost as if he were explaining it to himself. "Yeah, I think that sums it up."  
  
"Plus we're scared," I added. "Or at least I am."  
  
He smiled grimly. "Yeah, that too," he agreed. Then he caught my gaze for a second. "I'm scarred too, just so you know. I don't know if it helps at all, but don't feel like you're the only one here who's terrified."  
  
While the words made sense I couldn't really picture Alucard as terrified. Scarred yes, but terrified? It just wasn't something I had considered before. I had never thought him invincible, and now I wasn't sure what I thought of him, but while he had appeared nervous before, he had very rarely looked afraid.  
  
"What scares you most?" I asked randomly, looking for conversation topics.  
  
Alucard had to think about the answer a bit. He looked from me, to the room, then back to me. "Well, a lot of things scare me. The First, the Boss, ladybugs, all sorts of things. Heck, even your friend Zeke's made me jumpy a few times." He paused to stare at my surprised look, but didn't say anything. My mind was still dwelling on the ladybugs comment as he continued. "I'd have to say that I'm feeling rather scarred now. More so than I have in a long time. Heck, I haven't felt like this sense. . ." his voice trailed off.  
  
Raising an eyebrow I prodded, "You got my interest now, you can't leave me hanging."  
  
He just stared a moment before continuing seriously. "The last time I felt this scared was when I first saw you."  
  
I couldn't even blink in surprise, my eyes were too wide. "Wait, that was back when you were human, right? Why would you be-"  
  
"No," he said as he shook his head. "No, when I saw you in Puyallup. When I saw you." We were both quiet for a moment. I didn't know what to say and he was just watching me for my reaction. My eyes were asking all the questions I couldn't though and he was nice enough to explain further.  
  
"I couldn't show it. Not there, not with everyone watching, not while Zeke was testing my authority," he explained. "I couldn't look surprised, it would have gotten me killed. I was the boss's headman, which meant I was listened to, feared by everyone, but I was also a target. Any sign of weakness would leave me in trouble.  
  
"He never told me. The Boss didn't mention you'd be there. He didn't mention who you were. I didn't know, I don't think he did, either. Not really. No one would have guessed exactly who you were, who you are. After years of devoting most of my effort to forgetting you there you were, right in front of me. If I hadn't been hidden when you walked in I'm not sure what I would have done. The first few seconds when I saw you I couldn't hide my surprise. You were alive, right in front of me, right there in my reach. . ." he was looking past me now, his mind in the past going through his memories of that party, of that night.  
  
After a minute or two he shook his head and sighed, but still he continued. "It scarred me so much to see you. I thought you might remember me, what I had done to you." He smirked to himself. "Could you imagine? You and Zeke walking in to see me, and you knowing everything. Who knows if you would care for me still or hate me for what I had done.  
  
"Then I wondered why it mattered. Why should I care if you hated me? Why should it hurt when I considered how you would feel? Why should I want to touch you?" again he paused for just a moment, but this time he was staring at me. "I think that was the first time I had realized a difference between some vampires.  
  
"Your brother Spike told me a theory not too long ago. He says that some vampires can still love, not all, but some. He can, he loved Buffy, before that he loved his pet Dru. Then, as is the case with most vampires, other couldn't. They could have passions, hobbies, they might care, but they can't love. You've heard of Angelus? He's a classic example. After several hundreds of years they start to change, their bodies taking on the evil appearance that shows what they are. I never changed though. Neither did Zeke. I don't know of another vampire over a thousand who hasn't though.  
  
"Something saved me, allowed me to be able to love," he stated, coming to his final point of the speech. "More importantly, it allowed me to love you." Neither of us showed any reactions as he said that. "And that terrified me."  
  
I was vaguely aware that my heart was beating abnormally fast. I was still lying on my back, staring up at Alucard who was staring down at me intently, waiting for what I had to say.  
  
My mind wasn't working though. Emotions didn't exist and nothing I was thinking really mattered. Alucard's words were repeating again and again in my mind, but they still held no meaning, no dots were connecting that would force me to form an opinion or response. Every time I slipped up and actually realized what he had meant by that, actually let myself think about it, a shiver would run down my spine and I would double my efforts to know nothing.  
  
Because what would happen when I had to consider this? What would happen when I actually knew that he loved me? How would I have to respond? What the hell was I suppose to say? I was thinking about it. Damn it! I didn't want to be. I didn't want this to happen, didn't want to wonder.  
  
And yet. . . yet. . . I wanted to know. Knowing this. . . it meant more than I thought it would. To hear him say the words, to say exactly what he was feeling, was what I had been waiting to hear for so long. Longer, I think, than I had even realized.  
  
But how did I feel?  
  
The question hung between us as a heavy weight resting in the air. While Alucard didn't appear disturbed by my lack of response and intense thought it was beginning to make me edgy.  
  
What if I couldn't figure it out? Or what if I didn't like him at all? Just because Airaei loved him didn't mean I'd be able to as well. Perhaps it was better if I didn't, but would I feel guilty? He had confessed to me exactly what he felt. What if I couldn't do the same?  
  
I felt my breath begin to speed up and forced myself to relax. Closing my eyes I focused more on keeping my breathing and heart rate down to a normal speed rather than exactly how I felt at the moment. Right now panic was setting in, and I couldn't deal with panic.  
  
"Liz," Alucard murmured. I could feel him lean over me. "Calm down, it's okay," his voice was so soft and soothing it would be hard not to listen to it. Right now I surrendered eagerly to the calming qualities Alucard had. "Maybe you should go to sleep after all," he suggested.  
  
I shook my head. "No, that's okay," I murmured softly, opening my eyes again to look at him. For a moment I just stared into dark green eyes. He looked serious and understanding, something that was not a normal mixture of emotions. "Alucard . . . I'm sorry-"  
  
"-Don't be," he cut in.  
  
I shook my head to stop him from saying anything else. "No, let me finish," I insisted. Alucard stopped talking and I went on. "I'm sorry because I don't know what to say now. I don't know how I feel. I think . . . I think I like you, but I don't know what that means. I wouldn't use the word love, that's just too strong. I don't know if I even feel strongly at all. I can't promise anything, and I'm not who you knew me as."  
  
"I know that," Alucard stated. "And I don't want you to be."  
  
"So what should we do?" I asked.  
  
He shrugged. "I think we do the classic agree to be just friends thing." While it sounded cheesy it was the best thing for us to do.  
  
"So that's it," I said softly as I let out a deep breath. It surprised me that I didn't feel relieved to hear that.  
  
Alucard was nodding though. "Yeah, that's it."  
  
"And tomorrow?" I asked.  
  
"Oh, that's the easy question," he said, attempting to regain his former smirk. "Tomorrow we go to hell."  
  
~  
  
We all got out of the cars and assembled. The potentials were all looking nervous, the two vampires with us were still in the cars. They were waiting until they could go quickly for the building. Spike would be using his leather jacket as a shield from the sun, Alucard had brought a blanket. I was wearing loosing fitting cargo pants and a tight green T-shirt. The outfit was comfortable, and didn't hold me back. I had considered jeans, but you just couldn't stretch well in those.  
  
Once the group was together we followed Wood into the abandoned high school, the vampires tagging along. Now that we were moving the girls were looking better, more determined and happy that we were going somewhere. Alucard tossed the blanket aside once he was in the building and Wood led us through hallways as he talked. "Welcome to Sunnydale High. There's no running in the halls, no yelling and no gum. Apart from that we have only one rule." He stopped and turned to face us. "If they move, kill 'em."  
  
Buffy, who was also in the front of the group turned around as well. "Potentials in the basement with Faith, Beth and Spike."  
  
I hesitated a moment before going. The watchers and I agreed we wouldn't say good-bye. That way we all had to make it out so that we'd be able to later, but I didn't want to just leave without doing anything. Spike pulled at my arm, though, and I was only able to wave to the watchers before I kept going.  
  
"If you have to go to the bathroom, it's on the left. If you don't have to go to the bathroom, picture what you're about to face. Better to go," Xander said before he fell back to stay with Buffy and the rest.  
  
Faith, Spike and I were in the lead. Behind us were thirty-some odd potentials and Alucard. We were all about to go down into the hellmouth. I had to take a deep breath at the thought. How many creatures would we have to fight? I remembered the three shadow men and the image they had shown Buffy. Thousands of umber vamps. For the first time that particular thought was bringing me close to panic. You would never have guessed from looking at me, but I was so scarred, I'm amassed I wasn't shaking.  
  
Then there were the girls. They all had to be feeling just as scarred, or probably more so. How they were doing this I didn't know. We were willingly walking into hell to fight off the bad guys and save the world. In less than half an hour these girls would be Slayers, they'd be able to fight this fight. But if something went wrong? We'd all die.  
  
So we hoped nothing would go wrong.  
  
My heart was in my throat beating so loud I'm surprised no one heard it, but I followed mutely as Spike led us to the basement and threw hallways. He knew the place better than the rest of us, but I recognized a few things as we went through.  
  
One of them I stared at longer than the others. I knew the exact tunnel that led me down to where the Boss was staying. It wasn't far from the room with the seal. I stepped out of the line for a moment, giving the girls words of encouragement as they past, but my eyes stayed on the other tunnel.  
  
Some part of me wanted to change directions. While the First was threatening the world, they were about to have over thirty Slayers fighting its army off. Did they really need me? I had my own fight, and it had to be dealt with, too.  
  
"Are you okay?" Alucard asked when he caught up, stopping beside me. He knew exactly what I was looking at.  
  
"Yeah, I'm f--"  
  
A sudden jolt made me pause mid-sentence. I grabbed the wall from support to stop from falling, but no one else seemed to have noticed. As a matter of fact, no one else was moving at all. I stared at Alucard for a moment. He was still facing where I had been before the jolt. I reached out as if to touch him, but paused a moment, glancing at the potentials who had stopped as well.  
  
Slowly, as if something was holding me back, I stepped around Alucard. My eyes kept flickering back to him even as I watched for what had caused the sudden freeze in time. Slowly I turned in a circle, looking in every direction for some sign of what caused this. Yet when I stopped turning, the world didn't stop with me. My back should have been to the wall, but the wall was moving, slowly rotating, just like the potentials were, and Alucard. Everything was beginning to spin around me.  
  
The spinning sped up, slowly at first, then faster. I watched as the potentials became a mass of colors until I couldn't tell one girl apart from the others. Not long after that the colors were merely streaks, and soon they seemed to blur together until the room was a mass of gray.  
  
There was another jolt and my stomach lurched. I gagged, covering my mouth, but my stomach held up for the moment. It was too much for me though. My eyes couldn't follow the spinning anymore. Closing them I tried to reach out for something to grab hold of. There was nothing in front of me so instinctively I took a step back, searching for something till I ran into the wall.  
  
It was there, and when I touched it there was a third and final jolt, and things stopped completely. I took two deep breaths before looking up at the hallway. There was no movement, no noise. Event he colors were muted, almost completely gone. I held still for a moment, feeling nauseated, but soon the feeling passed.  
  
Turning around I leaned against the wall, still staring at everything, waiting for something to happen. I turned to look at the potentials, all immobile, and something glittered in the corner of my eye. Looking back at it there was nothing. I blinked a few times, but still didn't see anything.  
  
"Please stop playing with me. I've played enough games for one lifetime," I muttered nervously.  
  
Someone laughed, light and happy and the shimmer appeared again, this time turning into a solid form. Slowly a silvery shape twisted itself to a human and let the features span out over the body. When it finished it was a reflection of myself, only wearing a toga and looking all ancient. Not physically, of course, She was as young as I was, but it was just something about her. She was old in a different way, and you knew it.  
  
"What the. . ." I murmured, backing up against the wall. "Who're you?" I knew the answer to that question.  
  
The girl shrugged carelessly, brushing hair behind her ear in a very human like jester. "Me. You. It doesn't matter. I do believe you call me Airaei though."  
  
My eyes widened a little even though I had expected it. Still the thoughts raced through my head. Airaei? Here? But how? She had died two thousand years ago. I explained to myself; her race didn't die, they just went back to their world. Somehow and for some reason she had returned here, to Earth and our dimension. I knew that wasn't suppose to happen, Learians weren't even suppose to be able to take shape. Yet here she was.  
  
"Don't look so surprised, there's a simple explanation to this," She stated as she brushed fingers through her hair. "While I do like the excuse to take shape again--it's been such a long time sense I was actually here -- you were easier to deal with while you were sleeping."  
  
While I was sleeping? That would mean that she and I had talked, or somehow communicated. And it did make sense, if something had gone wrong, and it was quite possible something had, she might have made an effort to speak with me. "So I suppose I could blame those head aches on you?" I asked to verify my idea.  
  
Airaei smiled and nodded. "An unfortunate side effect. That's why I always left you behind when I entered the vault. Humans normally can't handle it. I'm surprised you're standing now."  
  
"Huh?" I asked. If my ears weren't lying to me then she had just said that I was in the vault. Quickly looking around again I didn't see anything that would make this place seem at all important. It was. . . gray. Dull and empty of life.  
  
She sighed. "You're not that daft, girl. Start thinking. How could I be here? I can't take shape without a host, and I'm not getting inside you. You should feel lucky I even tried to help you," she said, speaking down to me. "Then you screw it up. Now things are going all wrong, and I can't stop it."  
  
I blinked, thought a moment, and then blinked again. What? I didn't think I was acting particularly stupid, confused maybe, but not stupid. Who did she think she was? It wasn't like she was any better than me. Heck, we were the same person. "Okay, first: get over yourself. If you did something then maybe you screwed it up for me. Then second: what the hell did you do?"  
  
"I tried to warn you," She said stiffly. Her whole body was rigid, but she looked carefully blank. It was like she was trying to look formal when she was dying to hit me. Anger and frustration was hidden behind every carefully placed feature.  
  
"Warn me about what?" I asked, ignoring her anger and discomfort.  
  
"Your death, of course," She stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It will do us no good if you got yourself killed."  
  
Smirking I took a step off the wall, not quite as nervous as before, but still cautious. "Really? Like you really care about my life," I said, truly believing she didn't. Don't ask me how but I knew that she didn't give a damn.  
  
She looked almost uncomfortable. Her hands began to fidget as she talked. "Fine, I really don't. But I do want to know what will happen," she insisted. "It's a mystery, you know, your life," she added. Then looking down on me once more continued, "Can you believe that your life right now will determine the future? There's not a Lerian who can remember what happens next because you went and screwed it all up."  
  
"Okay. . . I have an idea. You explain things from the beginning. Then maybe I'll know what you're talking about and then we can discuss this," I stated slowly in a sarcastic voice, almost as if I were talking to a child who was too young to understand.  
  
Airaei's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't understand everything," she said.  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Try me, you might be surprised."  
  
She literally raised her nose to me, "I'll tell you what little you can understand," she stated arrogantly, "We live in the vault, that is our world. We go to other words to add to the vault. All the memories we gather from people like you are like pieces to a puzzle, they need to all be there else you can't see the whole picture."  
  
"And you're missing part of it?" I asked.  
  
She nodded stiffly. "You're the missing piece. We don't know how you end."  
  
"Ah, make it sound all ominous," I muttered.  
  
She shrugged. "It is what it is. The memory is not complete, we're missing all of you. How you finish off today will determine everything."  
  
"Okay, so why're you here?" I asked.  
  
"Because you're doing this all wrong," she stated.  
  
"Okay. . . how's that?"  
  
"You're suppose to be angry. There should have been a fight. . . So many things should have happened," she almost whined.  
  
"What does that mean, exactly?" I questioned.  
  
Airaei shook her head. "I'm not sure. But you have to make a choice."  
  
Something tickled in the back of my mind. "Make a choice?" I asked, trying to figure out what I couldn't remember.  
  
Airaei smiled at me. "Mm-hmm," she murmured happily. "Is something bothering you, Elisabeth?"  
  
I frowned. She was right, there was. There was something I should be remembering, something important. Why I couldn't figure it out I didn't make sense. My head was actually starting to hurt. "What're you doing to me?" I asked.  
  
She smiled. "It's not me," She purred. "You've been in the vault, you just don't remember it. The vault's here to give you memories, not hide them from you."  
  
"Okay," I said through gritted teeth. "Here's a scenario. Pretend I'm a stupid human who doesn't understand anything you're saying." She would go for that one.  
  
Airaei smirked. "That's not too difficult, but still," she said, "I brought you into the vault to help you. I've been trying to give you hints on what's going on. You, being human, didn't remember any of it outside of the vault, but when you came back the memories where there. So now, you're making a choice, fight with the Slayers, or fight alone. I'm here to give you memories to help you make that choice."  
  
"You're trying to lead me to the direction of your choice," I accused.  
  
She nodded with a smile. "True, but I think you might see things my way."  
  
"I don't even remember anything, what makes you think-" I paused as a sharp pain went through my head. Wincing I shook my head, trying to keep talking, but another stab of pain struck again.  
  
Airaei walked towards me, talking as she did so. "Don't try so hard, it isn't helping. Here," she said, resting her hand on my forehead. "Just wait, then the pain will be gone."  
  
Breathing heavily I waited. I felt another wave coming, but then it stopped, sizzling down into nothing. Airaei's hand stayed on my forehead as she closed her eyes. For a moment she shimmered again, her hand pushed against me, into me, then she pulled back, taking solid form once more. Nothing felt different for the first few seconds, then something popped into my mind. It was a memory, a very small memory, not an important one. Something about a sword. . . Then there was another memory . . . and another. . .  
  
"What's happening?" I asked as another life was absorbed into my mind.  
  
I remembered everything, everything about being Airaei. Every person she knew, everywhere she went, I could name everyone in her clan and every servant who worked for them. I remembered when I first met Dexion, when he started helping me with technique for fighting. I remembered that I had always been the Slayer, ever sense I was a small child.  
  
Feelings began washing over me and I stumbled backwards again. Leaning against the wall I stared at Airaei as I felt what she had felt. She hadn't fit in, she hadn't been like the rest of them. While she didn't think it was right to treat humans as lesser people, she had anyway, but she didn't know that. Compared to the others she was a saint. Dexion had seen that, he had seen that she tried.  
  
I remembered their first kiss, their passion. My father, no, her father had eventually found out and walked in on them. He had fired Dexion, kicked him out of the clan. No human deserved to touch a Lerian, especially not a servant.  
  
I shook as I remembered the fights. All the times she had been wounded. Normally she healed right away, it was nothing, but sometimes, if she had taken too many stabs, it lasted longer, and it hurt. Then there was the memory of her last fight. It was clear, too clear. Every step, every blow. The bite. . .  
  
"Oh god," I murmured as the memories started to slow down. They were there, right in front of me. It was if I had someone else with me, and yet. . . It was just me. Completely and totally me. There were two lives, but right now it just seemed like one really long one. Airaei and Elisabeth were the same person. It was just me.  
  
She had been right. It didn't matter what name I used. I was still her, I had always been. As the memories washed through me I knew that it was true. They were so different, Airaei and Elisabeth, but not because of who they were, only the situations they had lived through had changed them. They had started out exactly the same. No trace of Lerian had settled into my mind. Only the human form that Airaei had assumed.  
  
A shiver ran through me as I thought. It wasn't from fear, but rather helped to take it away. All of my anxiety seeped out of me as I let myself relax. This wasn't the first time I had been scarred and stressed. I could remember so many nights in the arena. So many times wondering if this would be the day I screwed up and got myself killed. My mind had shut off from the world as I walked out to have all those people watching me. I had been completely empty, no emotions could touch me.  
  
Then I would come home to hell. The others had never become human. They had been born and lived with the fleeting emotions that humans had, but they never embraced them. No other Lerian had learned to become as completely human as I did. They were momentarily carried by anger or lust, as is the way of humans, but they did not allow themselves to become real people. I had been trapped in a world where no one could care about anything. The part that was humans cared about themselves, but no one ever tried to care about me.  
  
I think I hated Lerians, even the part of me that was one. They were only shells, existing to gather information, but never really here to live. They had no passions but what they could assume when they took on the lives of others. We knew we were better than the others, above their petty feelings. I knew it was wrong, yet I was bond by the same rules that made me Lerian.  
  
Except, I wasn't. Airaei, the real Airaei, wasn't inside me. No, the human that had lived with her, the human she had controlled, she was with me. That was who I was, or part of who I was.  
  
I looked again at Airaei. She was staring back at me. I didn't have to say anything, she didn't need me to. Suddenly I understood her, understood her feelings. She wanted to help, not necessarily me, but humans. She had felt for humans, she still did. They taught her how to feel.  
  
I opened my mouth to talk, but I wasn't sure what to say. When I finally found words they came out choppy and slow. "I'm not. . . I don't. . . Why did you. . ."  
  
"You don't have to say anything, yet," She stated. "You're feeling disoriented. That's understandable."  
  
"What. . . is this for?" I asked, still speaking slowly. I wasn't confused, I just wanted the answers.  
  
"I need you to sort through the memories. Focus on the dreams, you remember those, right?" she asked. It occurred to me that I did. At some point while the rest of her memories were filling me the dreams that had been plaguing me for the last few months had slipped in too. They had simply been over looked while I focused on the rest.  
  
Even though I knew that I remembered the dreams I had to think about it for a moment. Too many things were buzzing through my head for me to remember any of them right away. Slowly I sorted through the memories and found the dreams among them. She had explained things in them, told me what was going on. But more importantly she had finished the prophecy for us. I knew what could happen.  
  
I knew it wouldn't end that way.  
  
"You said it yourself, things changed," I murmured.  
  
Airaei nodded. "Yes, but you know what would have happened. That still plays a part in all this. The choices are still possible."  
  
Were they? Was I really the one here to choose, or had she inserted herself into me to force the decision upon me. Even as the suggestion came to mind I knew it wasn't true. She had given me the memories so that I would have the knowledge needed to finish things. No matter what choice I made.  
  
I shook my head. "Neither will happen, I know it."  
  
She shrugged. "Neither will happen the same way. But if you face this 'Boss' character, chances are still high that he'll kill you. As for the vampires, you'll just have to try your luck."  
  
"So you want me to go with Buffy," I said.  
  
"Do you want to?" She inquired.  
  
"Does it matter?"  
  
She nodded slowly, smiling knowingly. "It's your choice. You get to decide on this."  
  
"And you said it mattered, that the entire world could change depending on what happens."  
  
She nodded again. "It's your choice."  
  
"Huh," I murmured. "Don't suppose you could, like, tell me how my actions will change things?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Didn't think so," I muttered. "You probably don't know anyway.  
  
She ignored my comment. "So what're you going to do, Elisabeth?" Airaei asked.  
  
I had to think for a moment. Slowly I stretched my shoulders and got my mind settled. "Well, that's a good question." She had said in a dream that the Boss would kill me and I'd kill the last umber vampire. But in that dream their hadn't been more than three Slayers. I knew that. So either the spell wasn't going to work or something I had done hadn't stopped the spell from working. Either way, she was right, I had to make a choice.  
  
"There's not much I can say," I murmured, smiling a little because there was nothing else I could really do. It wasn't a choice. "What choice do I have? I have to save the world."  
  
Airaei's smile grew a little as she nodded one last time. "Then I wish you luck."  
  
I nodded back, "I think I'll need every bit of it."  
  
She crossed her arms and met my eyes as she began shimmering again. The world began spinning, but I held my ground, staring strait at her the entire time. She didn't move, and neither did I. When at last things stopped she walked towards me. Again I stayed put, up until the moment we were almost touching.  
  
"Did I make the right choice?" I asked.  
  
She shrugged. "I guess we'll see." Then she stepped into me and was gone. I briefly felt her presence inside of me, then I was alone. Alone with way too many memories.  
  
"Liz, are you okay?" Alucard asked again.  
  
I blinked and looked up at him. Everyone was moving again, just as if nothing had happened. The girls were walking towards the seal, Dexion was staring at me, waiting for my reply. I think I'm the only one who knew that something had. No one else knew that Airaei had just been here, they didn't know that I now remembered everything. Dexion didn't know.  
  
Wait, did I just call him Dexion? I did! Twice! No, that's not right, it was Alucard. Both names circled through my mind. Dexion and Alucard were different people, Just like me and Airaei they were two different people, just as different as we were, but at the same time, just as similar. I wonder if they ever had conversations.  
  
"Liz-"  
  
"Yeah," I said softly, still smiling. "I'm just fine." He didn't look convinced. "Honestly, it's all good. I was just talkin' to myself." I continued walking after the potentials, not even glancing back at the tunnels. "Come on, Alucard, we've gotta go save the world."  
  
~  
  
My hand still stung from cutting it open, but we all had to cut ourselves up a little. To get to the bad guys we had to go through the seal. To open the seal you needed blood. None of us really wanted to kill anyone, so instead we all contributed a little. So we were all sporting new scars, go us. It can be the new Slayer mark.  
  
I finished climbing down into a cavern. It was dark and dank, but from somewhere there was light shining through. It looked like fire light, but I couldn't see exactly where it was coming from.  
  
"Not to be a buzzkill, luv, but my fabulous accessory isn't exactly tingling with power," Spike told Buffy as he held up some trinket that was on a necklace around his neck. Buffy had mentioned something about it supposedly had some power we didn't know about.  
  
"I'm not worried," Buffy stated.  
  
Spike shrugged. "I'm getting zero juice here," he muttered. "And I look like Elizabeth Taylor."  
  
"Cheer up, Liz. Willow's big spell doesn't work, won't matter what you wear," Faith stated.  
  
Again Buffy said, "I'm not worried."  
  
I stepped up beside Spike. "You know, if they start calling you Liz this'll get confusing," I pointed out.  
  
He glared. "Don't even suggest it."  
  
We all walked forward to get a better look at the cavern. After we did I wished we hadn't. Swarms of umber-vamps, thousands at least.  
  
Buffy was as surprised as the rest of us, but again she said, this time not as confident as the last, "I'm not worried. . ."  
  
"Really?" Rona whispered, "'Cause I'm flashing back to Xander's whole bathroom speech."  
  
"Buffy?" Amanda asked.  
  
Buffy closed her eyes. "Now Willow Now Willow Now. . ."  
  
"Buffy. . ." Amanda repeated, really scared.  
  
"I'm not worried! As long as Willow can work the spell before they-"  
  
One of the vampires sniffed the air, his head turning to us. The moment he saw us the rest of the umber-vamps turned as well. They growled at us for half a second, then charged, screaming all the way.  
  
"-see us," Buffy finished. "Willow. . ."  
  
I watched the vampires charge towards us, felling the first bit of fear. "Here goes. . ."  
  
"Yep," Alucard said, stepping up beside me. "No turning back now."  
  
Then something amazing and very much needed happened. Willow cast the spell. It was like a wave among the potentials. One by one the now Slayers gasped in surprise. It was like they were hit by something, a hard, confusing, wonderful something. Power rushed through them, they felt it, they wanted it, and they used it.  
  
"Sweet fancy Moses," Amanda said it best.  
  
There wasn't a frightened face among us.  
  
Then something hit me. It was subtle, and I wasn't sure what it was, but it was there. I was already a Slayer, so it wasn't like that was changing at all, but maybe it was just the power checking me, to make sure I was a Slayer. Maybe Faith and Buffy felt the same thing. It didn't really matter, there was no time for it. The vampires were coming.  
  
"You feel that?" Faith asked, apparently I wasn't the only one feeling things. The only thing different was that she was grinning, and she said it like it was a big thing. Maybe it was different for Slayers.  
  
Buffy was grinning too as she answered, "I really do."  
  
Faith looked ahead at the oncoming storm, "Everybody, hold the line. . ."  
  
Vi grinned, perfectly calm. "These guys are dust."  
  
And then the first wave hit. The vampires crawled over the edge where we were standing, swarming over us in mass. We were waiting and ready, though, and fraught back hard.  
  
A vampire jumped at me, I easily dodged, shoving my weapon threw him. I was using a three foot long stake. It worked as kind of a small staff if I needed it too, and I could still stab them with it. Another vampire jumped on me from behind, I knocked him off and into another Slayer's stake. Vampire after vampire was dusted. It hardly took any effort.  
  
Another vampire punched at me. I dodged and kicked him back. He grabbed my foot and threw me into a wall. "Owe," I muttered, pushing off of it as I turned and kicked him in the head, knocking him to the ground then quickly staking him. As he burst into dust another vampire attacked with a sword. I pushed the blade aside as I prepared another attack but was stopped short when pain shot across my back.  
  
"Holy shit," I yelled as I winced. One hand went to my back and came back with blood. I think I was in shock because it didn't hurt too much, but I think I was sliced from my right shoulder to my left waste. It had to be a thin cut because I was still standing. Or at least I was before the guy in front of me punched me to the ground.  
  
I rolled to avoid his sword, then again to avoid the vamp who slashed me. My back hurt from rolling on it so I tried to get to my feet, but had to jump backwards to avoid a sword and again landed on my back. Sucking in air I winced.  
  
The vampires were coming forward and I wasn't in any shape to fight them. Glancing around frantically I looked for help, but he found me instead. In just a couple of seconds Alucard dusted the vampires who'd been attacking me, then was helping me to my feet.  
  
"You really have to stop doing that," I said while smiling a thank you.  
  
"Doing what?" he asked.  
  
I took a moment to stake a vampire who was attacking another girl. "Saving me."  
  
He grinned. "Stop getting hurt. Speaking of being hurt, your back okay?" he asked, honestly concerned.  
  
I shrugged, checking it one more time. My shirt was cut up, but it was holding together well enough. Alucard had a jacket I could borrow later if I needed one. "I'll be fine. Duck," He ducked and I killed a vamp behind him. "Suppose we should get back to work."  
  
"Let's," he agreed, and we broke up, joining back up with the mob of vampires and Slayers.  
  
The fight didn't let up much, but some of the vampires were running out of the now open seal. I didn't spare them a glance, hoping that the watchers would be okay when they met up with them. We were all caught up in the fight. One vampire knocked my stake away from me, I kicked him into someone else's turning around just in time to see Buffy fall to the ground.  
  
Hesitating a moment I wasn't sure if I should help her. Faith was now kicking ass with the Scythe Buffy was letting her borrow until some vamp grabbed her on the neck from behind. "Rona!" she called, then passed the scythe/ax thing to her. Rona grabs it and starts hacking away. Slayers were starting to drop though, not quickly, but steadily.  
  
Suddenly the scythe was thrown to me. Rona was doing something else and it was my turn to use the weapon. I turned and with one slice beheaded three of the umber vamps. The scythe seemed to sing with power, it was intoxicating. After a few more kills I passed it on to one of the newer girls, only to give her a little confidence. She caught it uneasily, but started fighting, taking a few vampires down. Then Buffy was back on her feet, and the scythe went back to her. Faith broke out from under the dog pile of vampires covering her, and started fighting once more.  
  
I picked up a dead Slayer's stake and dusted a vampire, right about the same time I got this feeling. It was one of those things when you knew something big was going to happen. Something huge that would change things. A wave of happiness swept through me, but at the same time there was fear. Something was telling me I had a job to do. I wasn't sure what it was but the hunch wouldn't go away.  
  
While I was busy thinking about it some vamp punched me. I went down hard, my face hurting more than from any other blow. Getting back to my feet I blocked one of his blows, barely and not very well. Thankfully he wasn't too bright and I was able to stab him, but the stake didn't go in at first and he hit me again. I stumbled backwards, rubbing my jaw, then as he was moving towards me turned and kicked the stake, pushing it in all the way. I should have been able to kill him the first time. It was as if I was getting weaker, but maybe I was just tired.  
  
Then I figure out the hunch. "Dexion, get out!" I shouted. Alucard looked over at me, but I wasn't the one speaking. "Get out now!" He looked confused, but started heading towards the seal. Just in time he was out of the cavern, almost at the exact same moment Spike started to glow.  
  
My eyes widened as I saw him stuck in pain, something building inside of him. "Buffy. . ." he called out.  
  
She raced over to him. "Spike!" then she dived to avoid a prism ray of sunlight that burst out of him. Several rays, in fact. The shined throughout the cavern, filling it with light as it dusted countless vamps. All remaining vampires were wiped out instantly, and the cavern was starting to fall as well.  
  
"Everybody out!" Faith cried, "Now!"  
  
I stumbled forward, towards the exit. My body was sore and bloodied a little, but so was everyone else. I helped a girl to her feet before moving forward, but let her go when I got to Spike. He stopped talking to Buffy to look at me for a moment. Pure sunlight was channeling through him. There was no way he'd get out of this, he was after all a vampire.  
  
"Spike. . ." I started.  
  
"Get out of here," he said firmly.  
  
I nodded grimly. "You know, I'm going to have to hurt you for this," I pointed out.  
  
He smirked. "For saving your ass?"  
  
"Nah, I was the one who was suppose to kill the last vamp. You stole my job."  
  
"Get out of here already, before you get killed," he said.  
  
I nodded, glancing at Buffy, then continued forward and out of the seal. The moment I was out of sunlight Alucard was there waiting to give me a hand. The girls were stumbling out and Alucard took me with them. He didn't look nearly as hurt as I was.  
  
"You called me Dexion," he said as we passed the tunnel to the Boss's hideout.  
  
I paused a moment, staring down it. "That was Airaei. I think she says hi."  
  
He stared at me for a long moment. "We have to get out of here." He was right, the tunnel was falling down around us.  
  
"Yeah, you go ahead," I said, walking towards the tunnel.  
  
He grabbed me. "You're not going down there," he stated, pulling me back.  
  
I tried to wrestle out of his grip, but it didn't do anything. I might as well have been normal for all the good I was doing. "Lemme go," I muttered.  
  
"You're not going down there, you're hurt and we have to leave, now," he insisted.  
  
I looked down the tunnel again. "I'm fine, honest, I feel just fine."  
  
"You're too weak to pull away from me, how can you be fine?" He asked angrily.  
  
"But I'm fine," I said in a murmur, more to myself. I honestly felt fine. There was nothing hurting, not even the cut on my back. But that didn't make sense, it had been hurt. A bad cut I think, not too bad to stop me, but hey, I was a Slayer. Maybe I was going into shock or something, but I didn't think so. Everything felt. . . as if. . . "Oh shit." My eyes widened as realization hit me.  
  
"What?" Alucard asked.  
  
I blinked for a couple of seconds, my breath speeding up. "Oh shit. . ." I felt my back, there was only dried blood so I turned around. "How's the cut? How bad is it?"  
  
His hand moved over it. "Barely skin deep and almost healed, you won't even have a scar."  
  
"Oh shit." That couldn't be right. That just couldn't be right. It had been worse than that, I knew it. It shouldn't have healed this fast. And I should be able to get away from him. It was deja vous, and not in a good way.  
  
"Liz, what's wrong?" Alucard asked, letting go of me so that I could move freely. I wasn't thinking enough to run for the tunnel.  
  
I hadn't forgotten my idea, though. I had to go there, I had to stop the Boss. "Alucard-Dexion, god I don't know what to call you anymore." Both of my hands went to my head, covering my face as I rubbed my eyes. I had to decide now what I was going to do about this. I couldn't be two people. I knew that I'd never get rid of either, but I couldn't be both. I looked up and knew what I had to do. I was Elisabeth right now, that's who I was.  
  
"Alucard, I have to go there," I said it completely determined. Alucard was just watching me carefully, he was thinking too hard about something. Ten bucks said it was me. My mind was made up though. I was going down that tunnel.  
  
Alucard wasn't so sure of that plan. "Why?" He asked carefully.  
  
How could I explain? "Alucard, please." I didn't know what else to say. Yes, it sounded like I was begging, but things were changing so quickly and I didn't know if I could keep up with the changes. I had to make my move before I became too confused to do anything.  
  
Still Alucard didn't look certain. "I don't know why you'd want to," he said, "you could die. Hell, if we're not out of here in a few minutes we'll die. We need to run now." I just looked at him. He was right, but I wasn't changing my mind. He realized this. "But you have to do this, right? For some god forsaken reason you're going to get us killed."  
  
"Don't come with me. You can go," I didn't want him to get hurt. He was my friend, but he was more. Both people inside me knew he was more than just a friend. A part of me loved him, a part of me didn't. The thing I was sure of was that I cared for him, and I didn't want him dead.  
  
Alucard was shaking his head. "Where would I go?" he said with a forced laugh. "Out of here? Into the sun? Who knows how long I'd be there. It's not worth it if I'm going alone." His eyes said he meant it. He wouldn't leave me, even if I wanted him to.  
  
A bolder fell from the ceiling. I flinched. "We don't have time to talk about this," I pointed out.  
  
Alucard wasn't happy about it but he nodded. "Follow me." And I did. We both dodged several falling objects on the way. Soon we got to the doorway that we had come out of when running from the Boss. Alucard paused for a moment, taking a deep breath as he prepared himself for what was coming, and then he opened the door. We both walked into the perfectly smoothed tunnel, then down to the final door between us and the other bad guys. He met my eyes and I nodded.  
  
I opened the door quickly. For some reason I wasn't surprised to see what was on the other side.  
  
Zeke was standing there, arms folded behind his back with twenty-some-odd vamps behind him. He was dressed uncharacteristically in complete black. Black cargo pants, black nikes, a plain black T-shirt over a fishnet black long-sleeved shirt. The outfit was topped off with his stylish black sunglasses that did little good in the poorly lit hallway.  
  
"I should've guessed he'd be here," Alucard said from my side.  
  
Zeke smirked. "Ditto." He didn't bother to even look at Alucard as he said it. His eyes were focused on mine and I stared back at him. "Now you, Liz, you I was expecting."  
  
"Actually, I think I'm with Alucard on this one," I murmured, throwing the door shut behind me.  
  
Zeke shrugged, hiding all his emotions behind his glasses as his face stayed blank. "But I'm here to help you get to your goal. We're just escorting you to Boss."  
  
My eyes surveyed the rest of his party. I blinked a few times to clear my vision when it started to blur. The first fight had left me feeling tired. I didn't want to face the Boss right now, and I couldn't afford to put up a fight against these vampires. They'd win. It didn't matter anyway, the Boss had more. Zeke was right, he was only showing me where to go anyway.  
  
Slowly I nodded to Zeke. "Right. As long as they don't do anything like attacking us I don't. . . I don't mind. . ." I was blinking again, trying to keep my image of Zeke to one person instead of the many Zekes that were floating in front of me. Alucard grabbed my arm to steady me as I stumbled a moment. Shaking my head I cleared my vision. Zeke hadn't moved, though I swear his blank mask had cracked for just a moment.  
  
"Yeah, I was saying. . ."  
  
This time I couldn't stop myself from collapsing. Everything was a blur as my legs gave out. The world was turning black as I felt hands grab me before I hit the ground. Blinking one last time I saw both Zeke and Alucard near me. I don't know who kept me from falling as I finally blacked out.  
  
~  
  
Swoosh! That was annoying. I'm never leaving a story unfinished on a trip again. Not ever. Especially when I wrote an ending that I didn't like and I have to go back and fix everything. I spent literally two hours fixing everything, then my computer screwed up and I lost about ten pages worth of the corrections I'd done, so I had to go back and rewrite that part, and remember what the hell I'd done in the first place. *sighs heavily.* Alas the next chapter isn't done yet. Well, I suppose it's done, but I hate it. Literally, I hate it. There's only one thing in it I like, and that's the description of the Boss, which I'm keeping. The rest goes away.  
  
So, sorry it's taking long. At least this was a long chapter (sorry bout that). But hey, I had six weeks to plan out the rewriting of the ending, and I'm happy with my ideas. Quite happy. *smiles all happy like.* Actually, I did no writing while I was over there. I had nowhere to type, and handwriting doesn't work too well for me. I think I should have brought my palm pilot. *shrugs* probably better I didn't, but still.  
  
I'm going to stop rambling and get to the thank yous.  
  
Beyond the silence: yeah, you're right not to rush. That screws it up and makes you have to rewrite things. I'm so glad you liked it, and sorry I took so long finishing it. But I'm almost done! Thanks for the interactions compliment. I think I'm getting better at that. I use to be kinda bad. (Okay, really bad.) The Beth/Alucard thing was so predictable. I admit it. Romance is not my strong point. Right now I'm trying to tie up loose ends and what not with all the personality questions I had set out on the table earlier on. Clearing up pasts and all that. Thanks again!  
  
Ninii the Lucil33t: LOL! Yes, so true. And have no fear, Alucard will be punched. He gave in and told her everything because I didn't want them to have to fight so she could find out the info. Besides it's working out pretty well this way I think. Secrets are out now, so we just have to deal with what comes next. Hope you liked the chapter!  
  
Maude: Yes. I know. I'm a bum. That'll never change. Glad you're liking the story.  
  
Shygirl12: Hey! You're new. Thanks for the review, glad you're liking things. Good luck on the writing bit! I so know how it feels like to only like one story. *points to this one* I like it. I don't like my first story anymore. But I managed to finish it so I'm happy. Don't give up on the other stories though! It feels to good to finally finish them. Keep writing and hope you like this one!  
  
Jacey925: Another new person! *grins happily* you're quite flattering. That is a good thing. I liked the story line too much to turn away from it, besides, it fits in to my ideas so nicely. . . anywho, Liz is great. I like her character so much I'm considering a sequel. (but I have other things to write so it probably won't happen.) Japan was great, though I missed Pizza. Now I miss rice. American rice sucks.  
  
Anywho, thanks to everyone! Stay tuned for the last chapter which should be popping online soon.  
  
t.t.f.n.  
  
~Rave 


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19  
  
There was a crash. Followed by a curse. Then footsteps. Something had broken, waking me up. My eyes didn't open, I didn't breath, there was no heartbeat in my body. I was as motionless and silent as a corpse. I wasn't cold though.  
  
Oh no, there was no chill to my body. If it were at all possible I'd say it'd be a risk to touch me. I could feel fire traveling through my veins in the place of blood, a heat thrust in and out of my lungs, pretending to be air. My eyelids flickered as waves of heat gathered in my chest, building up for something. I could feel my breath quicken, my body begin to shake. I was out of control and I didn't care to stop myself. Something was coming. I could feel it inside of me, controlling me. A million thoughts exploded into my mind and I gasped, my eyes snapping open.  
  
Then everything stopped.  
  
I was on a table. A small, rectangular table. I wasn't shaking, I wasn't burning, I was just gasping for air that wouldn't come because I no longer needed to breath. Then I did start shaking. I rolled over to curl into a ball, but the table was too small and I fell off and onto the floor, where a broken glace hadn't been picked up yet.  
  
In an effort to avoid injury I reached out to stop myself. My left hand hit glass at the same time my left knee banged into the ground. My hand slid with the glass as the rest of my body slammed equally hard into the ground. Something snapped.  
  
Normally I think I would have cursed. Several profanities would have been shouted for all to hear. At this particular moment I didn't. I didn't do much of anything. I lied head down on the floor, feeling my knee already begin to fix itself while my hand stung. The larger injuries were always healed first. That I remembered.  
  
I didn't remember being so god damn hungry though. Biting my lip I took a shaky breath before realizing it was pointless. No amount of trying to breath would calm my nerves. Groaning I rolled over, crushing glass beneath me. I cuddled my cut hand waiting for it to mend itself. It was a moment before I noticed nothing was happening.  
  
Slowly I raised my hand to examine it. There had to be a good reason it still hurt. Sure enough there was. A rather large piece of glass had lodged itself into my palm. The thought that blood should be gushing out of the wound didn't have time to register. The moment I saw the blood beneath the glass I sort of froze.  
  
I was hungry, and it smelt like food. My eyes fluttered for a moment and my vision blurred. I wanted it. I needed that blood. My lack of breath quickened as my chest began to rise and fall. It was a habit, I know, my brain lying to me, telling me this should happen. But my brain was also lying about the blood lust that was flowing through me. After all, it couldn't be real. I wasn't a vampire, I knew I wasn't. Vampires bled. I didn't bleed. I smelt human. But I also heard my heartbeat and my pulse.  
  
It was all lies. I knew that. Most of me believed that.  
  
It's just. . . I don't know. The rest of me, that little voice in the back of my head, was telling me it wasn't. I knew it was wrong, that I should ignore it, but the more I stared at my palm and saw the blood just sitting there, waiting to be taken. . .  
  
My head snapped forward, towards my hand. Teeth sunk around the cut fast and hard, my jaw clenched as my tongue searched for any drop of blood that might leak out. For a moment I had it. A pure, salty, coppery taste, but then it was gone. There was nothing. I felt the shard of glass cutting at my tongue but I ignored it. I wanted that taste back. That beautiful, wonderful taste. Where did it go? Why did it go? With a wine I shuddered, almost being in tears. It had to come back. I needed it.  
  
I felt a hand clench my jaw and a finger prying my mouth open. A second hand grabbed my wrist, forcing my second hand off of it while pulling back on my hand. Intruding hands wrestled against me until at last my teeth let go and my hand pulled away. Within seconds it was healed. I fought back a sob as someone gently opened my mouth again and removed the glass that was still cutting at it.  
  
And then it was gone. Every trace that I had been bleeding. My body shuddered again and I curled up, ignoring the hands that were checking me over for further injury. My mind wasn't registering anything. I couldn't even see who was checking me over. They could be cutting me into little pieces and I'd never notice.  
  
"Drink this," a voice demanded. A cup of steaming liquid was shoved in front of my face. I barely shook my head as I scooted backwards. Whoever it was grabbed me by the hair. "Come now, don't be difficult." The voice sounded like a scolding teacher. I didn't take the cup, but I couldn't fight it off when my mouth was forced open and the liquid was poured inside. At first I gagged, spitting it out, but the liquid kept coming until I had to swallow. After all I couldn't choke.  
  
Something settled in my stomach and I had a vivid memory of the burning sensation, but this was different. There was nothing compelling about this feeling. It drove out all thoughts and demands that were circling my mind. For a moment I could think clearly. My eyes opened and I could see the room I was in. Then my stomach realized it couldn't do anything with that drink. The next few seconds were filled with unpleasant vomiting.  
  
When it was all done and over with though I was doing quite well. I stood up, wiped my mouth and looked around all at the same time. Three minutes ago I couldn't even move. This was a good improvement.  
  
"Good. You're awake," The voice was harsh and thickly accented, I was thinking Australian. The woman who had spoke was a good three of four inches taller than me. She had thick black hair pulled bag in what looked like a loose knot that left it hanging loosely around an extraordinarily pale white face. She wore a loose long sleeved shirt and baggy sweats. I watched her bare feet eagerly, but she didn't once step on a piece of glass.  
  
"Who're you?" I asked gruffly, wiping my mouth again. The woman shrugged. I didn't know what to say to that. Things were too quite in my mind and I was beginning to miss the voices. God that made me sound schizo. I didn't think I was crazy, though it would be ironic if I were.  
  
A sudden breeze fluttered through the room. A heard a jars that were hanging from the ceiling clink together. I shivered, not because I was cold. "We're underground," I murmured, staring carefully at that woman. "Why is there wind?"  
  
She glanced up at me, still cleaning up the glass. "He's waiting for you," was her answer. Then she turned back to the glass. I stared for a moment before turning to the room. She was ignoring me, so I'd ignore her.  
  
We were in a room that reminded me vaguely of a voodoo shop I had visited once. Jars of varying contents were everywhere. Herbs and other plants were pinned to boards that were lying around. I half expected a few dolls with pins in them to be hanging over a fire. There were no caldrons though. No voodoo dolls or ritual knives. There was a fridge in the corner though, that was a better investment.  
  
I turned back to the woman as a little voice that belonged to me for a change whispered the word 'witch' before running away. I smirked at myself. That was obvious. As if to prove itself the voice returned to yell one other word at me before vanishing. I had to think a moment before recognizing it.  
  
"Saedi?" I murmured questioningly.  
  
The women looked up. "Are we acquainted?" she drawled, knowing we weren't.  
  
I shook my head anyway and found a seat. Leaning back on the cold medal chair I realized something. "Why aren't I wearing a shirt?" I wondered out loud.  
  
Smirking Saedi got to her feet. All the glass was successfully swept into a dustbin. "It was torn."  
  
I nodded, remembering it being cut open. "It was holding up just fine last time I was awake," I pointed out.  
  
Saedi shrugged. "Maybe one of your friends got a little friendly?" She suggested with an unfriendly smile. I just stared at her, not sure as to whether she was serious. She continued though, saving me from deciding. "The Boss wants the best. You can choose another."  
  
"Do you have something with lots of holes?"  
  
Saedi looked amused. "I like you," was her response. She motioned me to follow her as she set the dustbin on the table I had been on not long ago. Then she opened the one door in the room and walked out. I followed her.  
  
We had hardly gone past three doors when she entered another room. This one was much smaller with no leg room. There was a dresser, a bed and an exceptionally small desk. Plus about two square feet to stand in.  
  
Saedi pushed me past her towards the bed and shut the door. She stood for a moment then knocked on the door twice. When she opened it again it didn't lead to the hallway but to a walk in closet.  
  
"Nice trick," I murmured as I followed her into it. Shrugging Saedi looked around. I followed suit.  
  
Mostly it was like what she was wearing now. Baggy old clothes with holes and stains. She had two rows of the hand-me-downs. It wasn't until she pushed one of the rows aside that I saw she had a large collection of new, non-faded completely goth outfits. Black clothes, chains, sculls and the number 13 etched into clothes, it all seemed a bit too over done.  
  
"Tell me you this isn't your hobby," I said with a raised eyebrow.  
  
Saedi rolled her eyes. "No worries. The Boss likes us all to be what he thinks we should be. In my case that means a gothic witch. I do what he wants me to and I don't get fed to his pets." She shrugged again. "Chose anything from here." She motioned to the better outfits.  
  
My eyes wondered to her normal everyday grunge. The Boss probably didn't want me to come as a goth, after all he'd dressed me up fancy last time. Then again this is the best Saedi could do at the moment, and he'd be pissed if I came completely out of it. I sighed as I checked over the clothes. It's not that I didn't like any of it, I just didn't want to play into the bad guy's hands.  
  
"You might want to change your pants, too. They're filthy," said Saedi as she left the closet to sit down on her bed. She kicked the door closed and I watched as it swung shut. I didn't open it. I wasn't sure where it would lead me.  
  
Taking a breath I set about finding an outfit. I wanted to be able to move quickly, which knocked out skirts because I always managed to embarrass myself when fighting in them. Looking the pants over I realized it wasn't necessarily better.  
  
They all had chains and straps on them. They were nice and showy, but incredibly baggy for me. Sighing I considered a short skirt. That wasn't really my style though so I looked again. I found one pair of pants that were like extremely baggy cargo pants that you'd never want to wear through airport security because of all the added rings and hoops. The good thing about them was that they could unzip and become shorts. On me that meant almost to my ankles, but still not too restricting. That plus the fact that they were tight enough at the waste that I didn't need a belt. I ditched one of two red straps and hooked the other so that it came around my back. Finding a shirt was easy. The pants were accented in red so I looked for the same color. I grabbed the first tank top that matched and threw it on. I grabbed a ribbon and tied my hair up and then was ready to go.  
  
I began to take a breath before turning towards the door. Then I stopped myself and frowned. It was nerves. That's the only reason it was bugging me. Shaking my head I grabbed the door handle and pulled. The door almost opened by itself and I walked out into a hallway. I heard the door shut behind me. The door wasn't there when I glanced behind me to look for it.  
  
Shaking my head again I walked forward. I was in an ancient hallway. The walls were made from stone, carved into it I think. Spaces for window had been carved, also. Each window was filled with stained glass. Every picture held some gruesome scene, all with two figures. One of the figures would be shown clearly. It was always a girl, her features drawn out be the design. Each girl was different but one thing was the same. She was always dying. Her killer would be a shadow shaped like a man, but with no features at all.  
  
Carefully I studied each picture. I felt no emotions sparking when I saw them. One girl had her head torn off. Another was stabbed in the heart with her own stake. One's throat had been torn out. I paused a moment at a seen where the girl was burning. It was the last picture in the hallway, and the picture seemed alive. The flame was almost dancing off the glass. My eyes flickered to a candle on the opposite wall that was reflecting its light. It was a good trick, set up just right. That was the only thought I had for the picture. There was one last window that stood empty. It was a hole in the wall that ended in dirt. I barely glanced at it as I walked by.  
  
Then the hallway widened. It grew in size until it was three times my height. That was when I came to the door. It was as tall and wide as the hallway I was in. It was made of a dark wood and a lot of medal keeping it all together. I doubted if I could have opened it myself. Lucky for me I didn't have to. The door opened on its own.  
  
My first thought was that the door opening hadn't been lucky. Oh no, far from it.  
  
I had blinked once or twice, staring into almost darkness. The dim lights hadn't been the problem. Neither was the fact that everything was sudden blurry. My eyes couldn't focus, but that was only because my brain couldn't. There was too much. Thoughts flooded through my mind non-stop. They were all so loud. I didn't know how to pick one out from another. Blinking again I fell to my knees. Vaguely I was aware that my head was drooping and I was slowly falling over to the side.  
  
I was hungry again. And I was tired. Then I was scarred, so scarred. Excitement shot through me then was plunged out by depression that came in galleons before being driven away by anger. So many people were mad. Mad at me. Mad at him. Just angry. Then more were scarred. He was hurting them. He was starving them. They were hungry. I smelt so good.  
  
I stifled a shout of pain, a cry of anger, sobs of fear. I was choking back so many emotions I felt like I was strangling. Finally I shouted for it to stop. I screamed and cried and I know I was heard but no one helped me. Finally I just laid there, sobbing on the cold floor. Only then did the feelings fade away.  
  
Still shaking I pushed myself up so that I was sitting. I was trying to breath again, taking what should have been jagged breaths. Anger flashed for a second before it was pushed away. What did it matter? So what, I wanted to breath. I wanted to be alive again. I hated this. It was so out of control. I didn't even know what was happening to me. Stopping myself from drawing in more air I forced myself to refocus.  
  
Closing my eyes I carefully got to my feet, stumbling a little as I did so. While I didn't open my eyes to look around I had a nagging feeling that someone was watching me. Several someones in fact. The more I thought about it the more I felt it. There were people everywhere. It was as if they made a perfect circle surrounding me. No, it was more like an oval, and they weren't just surrounding me. Someone else was the focus, too, I just hadn't noticed him at first. When I thought I had control of my self I opened my eyes.  
  
At first glance the room looked like a giant cavern. At second you saw that it was more than a cavern, it was a throne room. The floor wasn't the dirt I had expected, but something else. It wasn't anything I recognized, but some semi clear surface which reflected torch light from around the room.  
  
After the floor I noticed the tables, and chairs, and tapestries, and vampires. There were a lot of vampires, everyone of them a weight in my mind. I could count them if I wanted, but I could tell now there were hundreds. But back to the tables. They were as ancient as the rest of this place, but superiorly crafted, all stacked high with dishes, mostly bowls, all filled, I'm sure you could guess what with. Bones, meat, blood. . . yeah, the norm.  
  
Tapestries lined the walls. Some pictures were clear, you could see what horror it was displaying without having to think about it. Others were complex. You stared at it for a moment, not quite seeing what it was, then suddenly you knew exactly what image you were looking at, and couldn't see it the other way. All of the pictures were sickening, nothing was left to the imagination. If you saw some demon eating a person it was shown from a view were you could see everything.  
  
Then there were the chairs. No two chairs matched, just like no two vampires in them seemed to fit in with the rest. There were styles from every time and place I knew of. From ancient Greece, to China, to early America, to mid 1800s England. I recognized a few outfits I would have liked back then. All of the outfits seemed to be a different color, and all colors seemed muted by the cavern itself. There just didn't seem to be enough light to let anything shine or stand out. The vampires were here for the same purpose as the tapestries. They were a decoration.  
  
I didn't care about the vampire decorations. Honestly I didn't care about the tapestries or gory pictures. The remarkable floor and fancy light trick failed to impress me. Besides, nothing stood out like the vampire sitting directly in front of me. He put all of his decorations to shame.  
  
You knew he was the Boss. There really wasn't anything else he could have been. No one else here sat on a throne. It wasn't the throne I had expected, though I had imagined some. I had painted pictures in my head of large seats with bones and blood covered with human skin. You know, stuff like that. This one was much simpler, yet at the same time just as unnerving.  
  
His throne was made out of the same materials as the floor. It was in the center of the room, raised up above the ground on a platform. He looked like he was floating on air. That was how well the stone matched its surroundings. The place was so dark it added to the illusion. I might have been convinced if it weren't for the flicker of fire light that told me differently every time it reflected off the chair.  
  
The Boss was actually the last thing in the room I looked at. I had planned it that way, actually. The image of him from my dream was nothing compared to him here and now, and I had known it would be that way. I had just wanted to know what the rest of the place looked like before I got caught up in staring at him.  
  
He hadn't changed much from the dream in appearance, he was just. . . more. More of everything. He was the one thing in the room that was vivid, that stood out. He sat cross legged, his hands resting on his legs as he stared at me, his face emotionless. He wore a long crimson tunic that had two thin black strips running down either side. The tunic was held at his waist with a solid black belt before it ended near his knees. He wore black pants that blended into his surrounding, but his feet were the same yellowish tint as the rest of his skin.  
  
It was a sickly yellow, like you sometimes see with old people, but his skin wasn't wrinkled or thin. It was perfectly clear, with the exception of his forehead which was like any other vampire's. The forehead's bumps were the starting place and main focus of the many tattoos on his body. They led back to his bald head, then down his neck and shoulders and onto his arms. Even his feet had a few tattoos on them. All of the markings were for some ritual or another, I didn't recognize most, but those that I did weren't happy runes. They were more the chaos evil power summoning ones.  
  
Three horns came out of his head, two in front and one in back. All three curled up and inwards like spikes on a crown. It looked as if he was ruler by fate, not just because of age. Two more spikes came out of his shoulders. They started thick and curled outwards, ending about the height of his ears. Another two came out of his elbows. One arm was strait and I could see that the horn was more of a spike that fit into the arm. It didn't go inside it, just lined with it perfectly. The other was bent and you could see that if he elbowed anyone it would be an easy skewer. The last two horns were out of hands. They were more of bumps that ended in a point, but it would still hurt to be hit across the face with one.  
  
My inspection ended with his face. Other than the wrinkles and tattoos he looked fairly normal. Well, kind of. You didn't see anything wrong with him. You felt it. It was there. Pure evil right in front of me. You didn't have to see it in his face to know it. His eyes were black pits, holding nothing in them, no spark of light, kindness, or even hatred. Just emptiness. They were eyes you could get sucked into. Or at least it felt that way. If I looked into them too long I swore he could just swallow me in them and I'd drown in their depths before I even knew what happened.  
  
Quickly I adverted my eyes as butterflies whipped through my stomach. If that were true. . . I resisted the urge to shake my head and instead turned in a slow circle, once again taking in the room. I saw no end to it. The wall we had come in from didn't have enough torches on it to see farther than thirty feet in either direction. Torches were in rows about ten feet away from the tables. There was one thing missing from this room though.  
  
The door I had come in through. It was gone and in its place were more tables with more vampires over thirty feet away. I was trapped. Something told me this cavern would go on forever, and it wouldn't be safe to go exploring.  
  
"Do you like it?" His voice was deep, very deep and somewhat melodic. I looked back at him. His voice was smooth and almost cultured. He sounded like nobility almost, with that air of importance about him. It was such a contrast from his barbaric appearance that I wasn't sure if he had been the one speaking. Then he spoke again. "No? That is too bad," now he sounded like he was talking to a child. He had that note you might use with small dogs and kittens. It seemed a bit more demonic in that tone. Like some demon trying to trick you into thinking he wasn't dangerous. The trick wasn't working.  
  
"Why the crowd?" I asked as I gazed around again.  
  
The Boss shrugged in a movement that was both painfully slow and completely casual. "There should be people when you are having a celebration," he murmured.  
  
I turned back to him, once again staring into his empty eyes. "What are you celebrating?" I asked carefully as I waited for all of this to be made clear.  
  
This time he smiled. The smile matched the rest of his appearance. Yellow skin stretched as he let his long, snake like fangs show. For a moment his eyes gained some sense of life as they twinkled happily. Then he laughed, tilting his head back a little so that the sound could bellow out of him, filling the entire cavern with a deep, dangerously threatening noise.  
  
As if this was some cue the other vampires took up the laughter. Instead of just one sound we had hundreds. I heard snorts and giggles, high squeaks and throaty chuckling. Every evil cackle you could think of rang in the air. Then the Boss stopped, as suddenly as he started, and not even a second later we were in silence.  
  
"Creepy," I murmured. "Just like all those B-rated horror flicks, right?" No one answered my question.  
  
The Boss answered the first one though. "I wonder, what are we celebrating?" he asked the crowd. No one answered him as he rested an elbow on the armrest of his chair. All of his moves were slow and drawn out as he rested his chin on his hand. "I suppose there are two things," he stated. "First, we have our friend Dexion back." I blinked as he stretched out the hand he wasn't leaning on and motioned for someone to come.  
  
The crowd began to murmur as I heard a door open behind me. I turned just in time to see two vampires closing a large wooden door from the inside. The next time I blinked the door was gone. The only sign that it had been here at all was the bloody form lying on the ground.  
  
I knew before he moved that it was Alucard. Isn't that what the Boss had just said? Even knowing that it was hard to picture the body in front of me as my friend. What was left of his clothes were hanging off him in scrapes. Everywhere that they could add another bruise, cut or scrape they had.  
  
With a grunt he pushed himself off the ground a little. Pulling forward an oddly bent knee he found some support to help him. I was reminded vaguely of my own efforts to stand earlier. When Alucard finally got some control over the situation he looked up, past me, strait at the Boss. I could see he was already healing. The cuts on his face were receding rapidly until I could see none at all. When they were gone there was only one thing left behind. Pure hate, directed at the Boss alone. I don't think he saw anything else.  
  
The Boss ignored it. He hadn't looked away from me even while I was focusing on Alucard. When I returned my attention to him he continued. "We have been missing him for quite awhile now. Every time someone tells me we had him back he would go missing again. It was really quite sad," he said this all in a mourning tone, as if the information saddened him. Then he grinned. "Ironic that you are the reason he had escaped before, and then you bring him back to us."  
  
"Technically he followed me," I pointed out.  
  
I think that was when Alucard noticed I was here. "Liz!" he shouted, I turned back to him to find him on his feet and completely healed, even though his clothes were in a state. He looked shocked to see me. His attention must really have been focused.  
  
Staring at him I wasn't sure what I was feeling. For a moment I was glad to see him-and then I didn't care. He was there. He was alive, or as close to alive as a vampire could get, and it really didn't matter. Actually, I didn't think I would mind seeing him dead.  
  
That was about the time I realized that something was wrong.  
  
And then I realized that I didn't give a damn. Those words exactly.  
  
Alucard was walking towards me now and I was just starring at him, my hands shoved into my pockets and my face perfectly blank. He must have felt something wrong because he stopped walking to stare at me. Then he turned to the Boss.  
  
"What the hell did you do to her?" he demanded.  
  
My gaze shifted to the Boss while I was still facing Alucard. I had the same question, just without the anger Alucard was caught up in. The Boss just smiled at both of us. He had that same look as before where he was looking at us as if we were children. Maybe he thought we'd told an amusing joke. Perhaps he'd let us in on it. Or not.  
  
For a moment I thought the Boss would laugh again. He had that evil twinkling thing going on in his eyes, but no laughter sounded. Maybe it was something he didn't do often. If I had a chorus of people laughing whenever I did I think I'd have to stop running into funny things.  
  
"Oh, Dexion, I would not dream of doing anything to her," the Boss said. again he wasn't staring at Alucard. He was still studying me. At the moment I think he was taking in every detail as his eyes wondered up and down my body. "I think she looks tasty just the way she is." I heard Alucard growling but the Boss took no notice of it.  
  
"If I look so good why don't you just bite me already?" I asked as I pulled my hands out of my pockets, crossing them over my chest. The Boss's expression didn't change. I raised a questioning eyebrow, waiting.  
  
Lifting his chin from his hand his arm moved once again to rest in his lap. As always the moves were drawn out. I was beginning to think he was doing it just to waste time. Then the thought came to me, what time were we losing? We were all going to live forever why shouldn't he take his sweet time with things.  
  
He tilted his head slightly as if he were thinking. Then he answered me. "Elisabeth, dear, you do not honestly think that I do not know what is happening inside that body of yours, do you?" His voice held a more serious note then it had previously.  
  
I shrugged, mimicking his slowness. "It appears you do," I stated. "But that would be obvious. You had your witch examine me, after all."  
  
"We would not want you hurt." His voice remained serious. "Not yet anyway."  
  
I glanced at Alucard for a moment. He was looking furious, but also confused. I turned back to the Boss. "Now that I understand the threat, can we get on to why I'm here? You can't kill me. You're plan's got a glitch in it. What, are we all just going to stand around as you parade him about?" I asked, pointing to Alucard for a moment. "If that's all this is about why bother having me here?"  
  
The Boss's smile slowly spread across his face again, but he still looked serious about it. "You are being. . . rebellious. I wonder who you get that from," he drawled, leaning back on his throne. "I find it quite entertaining. And here I thought all my pets were tame." There was a rustling around us, a reminder that others were in the room.  
  
Ignoring the peanut gallery I gave my full attention to the Boss. The look I was giving him was a mix between a glare and pure confusion. He ignored it. Questioning his comment would be pointless, I knew that. So I went back to my question. "And I'm here why? To keep you entertained?"  
  
"That is part of it," he murmured. "But you are also here to kill him." For the first time he looked away from me, to Alucard. My gaze shifted too, but only for a moment. Just long enough to see Alucard angry, and just a tad scarred.  
  
Not thinking I replied, "Why would I want to kill him?"  
  
Ever so slowly the Boss's gaze drifted back to me. He wasn't smiling anymore. There were no expressions at all. Meeting his eyes I saw that they were once again lifeless and deadly. They looked like they were ready to suck your soul out. This time I didn't look away. For a moment we just stared at each other. I didn't know if he was thinking or if he was actually trying to do some trick with his eyes. One way or another it wasn't working. He wasn't sucking out my soul or stealing my mind. In the end his answer was simple and blunt.  
  
"Because I want you to." I rolled my eyes before I thought. One would think that him wanting me to do something shouldn't mean much. He had wanted me dead and I hadn't died for him. He had wanted Alucard and I had taken him away. What made this moment so special? Why should I just give in and do what he wanted me to?  
  
Why indeed. There was a simple answer, too simple. Because him wanting to was a good enough reason for me.  
  
I literally took a step back at the realization. It made no sense. There wasn't a logical reason for it. I didn't like the Boss, I didn't want to listen to him and I sure as hell didn't trust him. He wanted me to kill Alucard, that didn't bother me. I didn't want to listen to him but I knew I would do it anyway.  
  
"What the hell did you do to me?" I murmured.  
  
My eyes were wide in confusion and surprise, but I wasn't really looking at anyone. Because I was facing the Boss I could see his cruel smile, but he didn't answer me. He didn't have to, I knew it wasn't his fault. He couldn't be behind this, and besides, he didn't have to be. However he had known that this would work. He had known that he could use me to do whatever he wanted. That worried me.  
  
'how the spell works. . . influenced by the magic around you. . . kept you alive'  
  
I flinched, rubbing my head. For a moment I was worried, waiting for another thought to attack me, as they had done before. Then I realized this one was my own, my own memory. For a moment I just stood there, confused, then I flinched again.  
  
'Why is she just standing there. . . why can't this be faster?'  
  
I blinked, taking another step back.  
  
'Who am I?'  
  
'hungry. . . why is she. . . only a taste'  
  
No, that wasn't me. These weren't my thoughts. I was hungry again, but it wasn't me. I felt myself waiver, almost falling, before I caught myself.  
  
'Liz!' had that been out load? Was that a real voice? I recognized it.  
  
'Stop him'  
  
'Liz! Liz are you okay?'  
  
No, they were only thoughts. People were speaking, someone was shouting. I could only stand there, my hands on my ears trying to block out the voices that were loader than the shouts around me.  
  
'Airaei, Learian human. Elisabeth, human, Slayer.'  
  
'She's only human. . . why does he bother?'  
  
'. . . killed him already. . . want a fight'  
  
'look at her. . . she can't. . . so pathetic'  
  
Again the emotions were rushing through me. I couldn't stop it, I couldn't stop any of it. these weren't my thoughts. I didn't want this. I was so angry, so bored. The Boss was playing out his scene, his little drama. Dexion-or was it Alucard-was performing as expected. The Boss would be happy once I killed him. I didn't care if he was happy. It didn't matter. No one here cared. I could feel it. No one gave a damn so neither could I.  
  
The thoughts were swarming together, becoming one large buzz in my head. There were too many, too many emotions. This couldn't be right. This never happened the first time. Granted I had never been around so many magical creatures at once, but this. . . this was madness. This was torture. Is that what the Boss wanted, to torture me?  
  
No. He didn't. He didn't care what happened to me right now, but this amused him. That was good, it stopped him from hurting me. From hurting us. Everyone here. Didn't this hurt though? Yes, but the others? I didn't care about them. No one cared about the others. What mattered was how they would stay alive. How they would stop the Boss from hurting them.  
  
Angry and bored. The two emotions circled. That's all they ever felt. sometimes there was pain, sometimes pleasure, sometimes amusement, but what it came down to was being angry or bored. The Boss did this to them. He kept them trapped. They didn't want to be here, I didn't wan to be here. They at least could think strait. They had their own thoughts, their own minds. There were already two people in my head, I didn't need anymore.  
  
'Who am I?'  
  
I don't know.  
  
'Why must she just stand there'  
  
I don't know.  
  
'What will he do about this. . . she's clearly not controlled'  
  
What would he do about this? The question made me laugh, harsh and frantic. Which of these vampires had wondered that question? None of them cared enough to ask the question out load. No, they didn't care about me. I was an 'other'. An other who was suffering to keep them safe, to keep the Boss amused.  
  
"Stop!" I sobbed. I was crying, I hadn't known.  
  
'pathetic-sad-what is she-at least he's-taking too long-pathetic'  
  
All the thoughts were molding together. I didn't have a chance to separate one from the other to tell them apart. "Stop," I said again. I couldn't tell if I was still crying. I couldn't tell much of anything. I was clutching my head and it hurt.  
  
For just a moment I was back at the table. There was a crash. . . something was burning. I could feel heat inside me. I heard the heart beat in my mind, felt it pounding as warm air forced it's way in and out. It wasn't real. I knew that. That heat. . . it woke me up. It wasn't here, it had been a spell, a spell to force me awake. Someone. . . someone here knew that. It was just a memory.  
  
A vivid memory. One that flushed all the thoughts from my mind for just a second, just one moment of emptiness. It was my only chance to escape this, but there was nowhere to escape to. I needed help, and no one here would help me. No one would help someone without reward, and what reward could I give? I had nothing but the thoughts. I could remember fire burning through my veins, but I didn't even know my name.  
  
'Liz?' the first thought to come to me. He was asking a question, asking if I was okay. I frowned at the idea. Why would he care if I was okay?  
  
Suddenly the other thoughts were back. It was like something hit me from every side. I couldn't fight them. There was nothing I could do to protect myself. I felt helpless. Even while I hated that feeling it was their. It wasn't their's. No, the voices had nothing to do with that. I felt helpless.  
  
'Who am I?'  
  
'Airaei, Learian human. Elisabeth, human, Slayer.'  
  
"Oh," I whispered softly as I forced my eyes open. The voices were still there, still running through me. It was just. . . there was still me.  
  
A smile slowly formed as my body finally gave out. I couldn't stand any longer. All my effort had been put into keeping some part of me alive, some part of me separate from all of them. I had done it though, I had done it so this didn't matter anymore. Let them storm my mind. At least then the Boss couldn't get what he wanted. He couldn't force me to kill anyone.  
  
Arms caught me while I was just beginning to fall. He had waited for me to give out. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he was worried. I tried to look up, to force myself to see beyond blurriness, but I was seeing from too many sets of eyes, I couldn't focus on just one.  
  
I gave up trying to look at him when he pulled me against him. A calm settled over me and slowly the voices trailed away. As more of the thoughts went away I was able to see and think for myself. I was crying, my face against his chest, and at the same time I saw through his eyes what was happening around us. He didn't care though, he had known what would happen. I could hear his thoughts as clearly as I had the others, but he knew that, he didn't care. He was helping me and he knew that too.  
  
"Thank you, Zeke" I murmured quietly, perfectly aware that everyone in the room could hear me.  
  
'hush' "Hush." The thought came right before the actual words. Zeke was quiet too, pretending that all the vampires around us couldn't hear what we were saying.  
  
Ignoring his comment, knowing that he didn't really care if I talked, I asked a question. "What's going on?"  
  
There was a hesitation. All the carefully guarded thoughts that Zeke had began to slip out. Realizing this before he slipped up too much Zeke forced his mind blank. He closed his eyes to try to block everything else out, giving him a moment to reform walls. Even when he did that he pulled away, limiting the bond between us. With the bond went his protection. Thoughts started pressing against me, but they could only press. For now at least they didn't enter my mind again.  
  
"Perhaps we should explain this to her," Zeke said without the thoughts explaining the statement. His eyes were staring into mine, but he wasn't talking to me.  
  
I could almost feel the Boss moving in his chair, just shifting position. "Yes, I think that is a marvelous idea. Shall you tell her?" He asked, sounding curious.  
  
"You tell the tale so much better than I," Zeke murmured softly. "It would be better if you explained." He sounded polite, but it was a mask, and everyone here knew it. Zeke liked the Boss as little as everyone else, he just displayed his dislike clearly.  
  
It seemed the Boss was use to such meaningless talk, because he ignored it. Instead he considered Zeke's suggestion. Again I almost felt him move and my eyes shifted to watch him. He was looking at Zeke thoughtfully. "Yes, I agree. I should explain." For some reason those words carried a threat, not towards me, but for Zeke. Zeke nodded, recognizing both the Boss's decision and his threat. I didn't understand any of it.  
  
"Where can we start?" the Boss asked himself. He took a moment to think of it before discussing his ideas aloud. "Elisabeth needs to know everything, and I wonder how much she knows now? I am told Airaei was taken care of. She knows all of that, but what else?" No one answered his question.  
  
The Boss continued, "What it all comes back to is your curse," now he was talking to me. "It seems odd, that one curse could control all of our choices. It seems almost a mistake to ever have used it, then I think of the alternatives, and I think not. The curse, the reason for it, reasons, actually, they begin this tale."  
  
"The curse," I stated evenly, "was Brekken's doing."  
  
The Boss nodded slowly. "Yes, but he was answering to me." The Boss paused a moment, as if to see if I would say anything. I had nothing to say. I didn't understand, but he would explain this. "As expected there were three causes. First: Brekken wanted you powerless. Second: I didn't want you dead. Third: I wanted you alive now.  
  
"The last was perhaps the most important reason. While similar to the second, it meant much more. Everything, all of my plans, were all set so that you could live tonight. So that you could die tonight. It would insure my throne, my rule, my empire. Your death would give me limitless power. Tonight the Slayer line would end with you.  
  
"But no, that did not happen. Every prophecy on the matter was proven wrong. I do not know why. Something caused a change, things went wrong. A Slayer had her witch cast a spell, one my witch had no power to stop, and then their were hundreds of you. Hundreds of Slayers. They defeated the First's minions, destroying an alliance I made many years ago."  
  
"Airaei," I murmured, "Airaei said she caused the change. She said I was doing things wrong."  
  
The Boss shrugged. "Does it matter? What matters is that there are no longer three Slayers. Therefore, there is no longer the third Slayer. No, you are once again trapped, the internal Slayer." The Boss finished with a grim smirk, angry and amused. "I, however, need you alive."  
  
I could only stare at him for a moment. Why did it matter? And how could he know all of this? How could he have control over Brekken? None of this. . . none of this made sense. "I don't think I understand."  
  
'don't be daft girl'  
  
I leaned into Zeke, trapping myself again in his mind before the rest of the thoughts could return. The voice had sounded familiar, but it wasn't my thought, and I didn't want it. Zeke allowed me to stay near him, but he nodded towards the Boss, telling me to listen to him.  
  
"What don't you understand?" The Boss asked, sounding bored. "Brekken? He was young, younger than Zeke even. His past time was killing Slayers. He could handle himself around them, so I told him to watch you, to bite but not kill you. Brekken had never had much brains though, he got carried away. He was obsessed with killing you. So I lied, told him you were not the one I needed, gave him a spell to rid you of your powers, knowing exactly what the spell would do. He cast it and you were stuck, for the time being. Then you went on with your existence. Brekken died, you came to America."  
  
I blinked. "Younger than Zeke?" It didn't sound right, but I could feel he wasn't lying. He didn't need to answer the question. Unsteadily I continued. "Fine. Brekken was yours to command, you knew the spell, the curse. You set everything up. Two things left. How'd you know how to break the curse, and why now? Why kill me now?"  
  
The Boss was still looking bored, but he went on with his explanation anyway. "How do I know how to break the curse? Brekken knew. He was the channel, all conditions were told to him. He in turn told me.  
  
"As for why now," the Boss paused for a small smile. "A much harder question, and a much longer story. To keep it simple, and to save time for story telling can get dull, I will skip most of the story itself. Yet without some of the details, you will be asking more questions. To the point: There are what I call marked Slayers. Slayers with a certain. . . essence about them. There is nothing special to them, other than they have a power that does nothing for their kind. It runs deeper then what the human knows. It is in the blood itself. This power can be stolen and used by others who know how to spot it. I have always seen these marked Slayers, and I have made effort to learn how they can help me.  
  
"Like many rituals and spells you must kill the Slayer, drain the blood, to assume the power you must consume the blood, not all, but some. You must continue to kill Slayers at certain times in accordance to certain signs and symbols and all of the rules that magic has. In this case, to assume complete power from the marked, I must kill thirteen Slayers. I have killed twelve, you're the one left. I must kill you soon, tonight would be best. Only then will-"  
  
"You have complete power," I finished for him. "So this is all some power trip?" I asked, and then before he could answer I continued, "I've been cursed, dragged all over America, had to put up with vampires and watchers and a very long, boring 120 years of not being alive or dead, just so you could kill me right now."  
  
The Boss smiled, once again amused. I wanted to hit him. That feeling wasn't only my own.  
  
"And what then? I'm dead. It's over. Just like that? You bask in your new found power which you'll use for what? To look spooky in front of your rows of peons who mean nothing to you?" I was close to shouting now, taking full advantage of the anger that hovered in the room. "Hell, I'm here putting up with them," I gestured about the room, "and every damn thought in their head, because of You! Damn, it's probably even your fault that it's happening now. The first time I just woke up with a headache, now it's with other people's voice in my head!"  
  
The Boss was still smiling at me. I glared back. His smile widened and he spoke again. "Elisabeth, dear, it is my fault. Entirely. Be pleased this will end soon. The voices? You are just sensitive now. The sleep is to get you passed this part. They will fade. You will be alive before that."  
  
"How?" I demanded. "Are you going to kill every damn Slayer in the world?"  
  
He chuckled, there was no echo. "I have no need. There are other ways to make you mortal."  
  
"Are there?" I growled through clenched teeth. "Please, by all means share them with us. We're just dying to know."  
  
The Boss's grin had settled into a small smirk. His eyes flashed, showing us signs of life. The peanut gallery was pleased with that. I had the feeling it wasn't a very common thing to happen here. Perhaps he had to be having a good day. Whatever the cause he was amused, he was happy, so life, or the afterlife, was good.  
  
"There are three ways to break the curse. There are always three ways," he stated happily, using the talking-to-a-child tone with me. I remained glaring. "The first you know. Three Slayers. Old news. The second, well, I do not like this one, and it will not work anyway. You must kill your three worst enemies. Obviously, I would have to die. That would not work for me. I must say it would be rather bad. Besides, Brekken is dead, you can't kill him anymore." I didn't argue with him, it was true. I had always considered Brekken to be my worst enemy, the only one who had beaten him was the Boss. Who the third enemy was I didn't know. Zeke? Alucard? I wasn't up to guessing.  
  
"The third?" I prompted.  
  
His eyes flashed again. "Yes, the third," he took a dramatic pause. "This has always been my favorite, but also the least convenient. I would have to have you in a position where I could control you. You would have to bend to my influence, just like all my other servants," he paused again. I understood the implication. I was only another servant to him, if a useful one. "Yet here you are, of your own free will. Surrounded by those who would kill themselves for me, if asked to. Surrounded by those who would kill those who they loved for me, if asked to. What better way to control you?"  
  
"What's the third way?" I asked again, trying to force him to a point, I was beginning to get scared.  
  
His face didn't change, but I could feel him grinning at me. His voice sent a shiver down my spine when he began to talk. It was cold and heartless, and deathly excited. "You, my dear, have to kill three people. The three you care for most, your three best friends."  
  
"Somehow I knew you would say that," I murmured. Maybe it was the fact that Zeke had known the answer. He knew what would be asked of me. I couldn't tell what he felt about it. His thoughts were blocked off from me completely now. He wouldn't even look at me. "Zeke and Alucard," I stated, "but there's no third."  
  
This time the laughter sounded from the entire room. I flinched at the first few giggles then waited it out as the Boss took his time finishing. When he was done he just stared at me for a moment, as if he couldn't bring himself to move past the laughter yet. When he did he was grinning widely.  
  
"That is the wonder of it!" he exclaimed. "There is no third. You did not and will not have killed him."  
  
I didn't bother trying to hide my confusion. "But I have to have killed him. . ."  
  
"Well, you have to cause his death," the Boss stated.  
  
Frowning I nodded. "Yes, but, I didn't cause it." I think I knew who we were talking about.  
  
"But you think you did," he said, holding back his chuckling.  
  
No I don't. The thought came before I actually considered the idea. I knew who he was talking about. There was only one person he could be talking about. I didn't kill Todd. I didn't cause his death. It wasn't my fault.  
  
As many times as I said that, it didn't change the gut feeling inside me. He was right. It doesn't matter that I knew that I had nothing to do with Todd's death, it was the bringers and the first's fault, but I still blamed it on myself. Surely that couldn't be enough? My thoughts alone couldn't determine whether or not I was alive? The Boss seemed to think it would, and he knew more about all of this than I did. Heck, he was the cause of all this.  
  
"I didn't kill him," I stated one last time just to be defiant.  
  
The Boss shrugged, obviously not caring what I said. His thoughts had turned to different things. "But who cares about that friend? He's already dead. We're here to celebrate, after all."  
  
I just stared at him for a moment. What was he getting at? He smiled at me cruelly. He honestly had everything under control. I knew it, and I could do nothing about it. He was going to tell me to kill someone, probably Alucard. And I'd do it. I'd do it because I had no control over how I was thinking. All he had to do was get the voices back in my head, just not too forceful that I couldn't think, and I'd listen to anything he said. I'd hate what I was doing, but I'd do it anyway.  
  
"I'm surrounded by idiots," I muttered under my breath.  
  
Someone laughed, Zeke, not the Boss. "Why's that."  
  
"You all listen to him and you're bringing me down with you," I stated.  
  
Zeke nodded. "Yeah, it's not fair. Life's not fair."  
  
"I'm not alive. Things should be fair for me," I said. Zeke only smiled.  
  
"Touching conversation," the Boss said, "but you have a job to do, Elisabeth."  
  
Frowning I turned back to the Boss. I wanted to say some snide remark, tell him I wouldn't do it, but I would, and the remark wouldn't matter. Instead I turned away from him, looking back at the room to the forgotten Alucard. I hadn't even noticed them getting him under control. At the time I had been too out of it to see them pin him to the ground. Now there were six vamps holding him down, his head forced against the ground. Slowly they were letting him up now so he could once again see the room.  
  
He was glaring at me. No, he was glaring behind me. The Boss had been forgotten as he focused on Zeke. I followed the emotions that showed clearly on his face. Anger, jealousy, hate, every negative thought you could think of. Zeke noticed it too, and wrapped an arm over my shoulder, pulling me against him. Alucard's eyes narrowed as Zeke smirked. Why was Alucard worried? I didn't feel for Zeke the same way I did for him. Well, right now I didn't feel anything for Alucard, but before that. If Alucard had been like a boyfriend, Zeke had been like a brother.  
  
Alucard knew that, he just wasn't thinking strait right now. "Get off her," he growled at Zeke.  
  
Zeke grinned, but didn't move anymore to antagonize him. Instead he said in an all to casual voice, "Alucard, why're you feeling insecure about your position here? I thought you and Liz were close, why all the worry?"  
  
Alucard had settled on a look somewhere between hate and anger while Zeke talked. Now he was trying to come up with a fitting reply. The words weren't coming easily. Finally he just shook his head, or tried to, a vampire still held onto his hair, limiting his motion. "You're in the same boat I am. She's going to kill you too. I'm just happy knowing that if she didn't have the spell on her right now, she'd be with me. You'd still be sucking up to the Boss here for all eternity, with no chance of ever getting free of him."  
  
There was utter silence. I'm not sure how long it lasted, but it was very uncomfortable just standing here, waiting to see what would happen next. Alucard and I both were waiting to see what Zeke would say. "You're wrong," he said finally, offering no explanation.  
  
"I doubt it," Alucard said with a smirk.  
  
Zeke's eyes narrowed. "You're wrong," he said again.  
  
Alucard shook his head. "I'm not, and you know it. You'd be stuck here forever, serving him," he nodded towards the Boss. "Not at least your friend there will save you from that. You're just going to stand there and let her kill you, knowing that she no longer cares about you, or anything else for that matter. You're nothing to her, you're-"  
  
In an instant I felt Zeke leave. One moment he had been holding me, the next I was left to myself, almost stumbling from the sudden change. I stopped myself when I saw where Zeke popped up. In the blink of an eye he went from helping me, to holding Alucard by the throat, looking as angry as Al did.  
  
"Shut up or I'll kill you," Zeke growled.  
  
Smirking Alucard didn't listen, "Try, go on, do it." Zeke didn't move. "Thought you wouldn't. No, you're mad at everyone and you want to take it out on me, but you're the Boss's boy, and he can't have you screwing up his trip to power."  
  
"I would if I wanted to," Zeke lied. Alucard laughed in his face. For a moment Zeke tensed, I thought he might actually kill him. A voice stopped him.  
  
"I need him alive," the Boss said softly. Even quietly the voice carried itself throughout the room. Zeke froze, his hands still on Alucard's throat. Then ever so slowly he began to pull away, forcing his fingers to let go of their death grip. It took several minutes before Zeke was once again standing strait, attempting to regain whatever dignity he could.  
  
Alucard smirked, then glanced at me for just a moment. I thought he was trying to tell me something, but I couldn't decipher the message. He knew I wouldn't be able to, and didn't try very hard to get me to understand, it was more like just to make sure he told me anyway. Why it would matter. . . I didn't know.  
  
Then I did. Right after he turned away from me he did something very, very stupid. It took him about two seconds to break away from all the guards on him and throw himself at Zeke. Zeke hadn't expected an attack, surprise alone let Alucard knock him to the ground with his first hit. Zeke was still almost stunned, but that faded before Alucard could hit him again.  
  
I had the feeling nothing the Boss said could stop them now.  
  
~  
  
Okay, it's not over! *cries* I want to finish, I really do. Sad thing is though, I was planning it out, and I realized I still had a lot to go and it will take me forever to finish it so it'll be easier to just split it in two. Sad day. *Big sigh* So I end it here. Chapter 19, unfinished. But I'll just have a chapter 20 and no epilogue. There, that'll be cool, kinda. But yeah. . . I wasn't supposed to separate chapters so I say nothing about this one. Now I guess it's time for thank yous.  
  
Ninii the lucil337: well, they are kinda sweet, but not anymore. . . ^.^ and I'm happy you're happy I updated. I'm happy I updated again. Yeah, I was thinking "Wouldn't it be cool if time, like, all of a sudden stopped?" I like that kinda thing, too. Zeke. . . is being Zeke. You kinda get inside his head here. More so next chapter I think, but I'm not sure what all will happen. I'm just happy I finally figured out an ending. Yeah, they're both going to get punched a little (lot). I did take awhile with this chapter, too long I think, stupid writers block, hope ya liked it!  
  
Maude: Fun Fun when I don't tell you things. And I'm not telling you how it ends! I changed the ending again, so it's not how I told you earlier it will end. Nope, it's all different *dances happily* and I'm not telling you anything!  
  
Vivi's pin-up: Holy crap, you're alive! *looks shocked* You missed two parties, I was beginning to think they lied to me and had you hidden in a closet. It's your fault though, you can't blame it on Goliath, not his fault. Besides, you didn't come to my b-day party and he had nothing to do with that. Anywho, of course I can't spell! And your teachings will never change that. What the hell's a jujubee? (that question's for everyone). Last, but not least, you can hurt Goliath if you want to, I won't e-mail you till you review again, and you can't poke me cause you never see me.  
  
JenCarpeDiem: new person I believe, welcome welcome, thanks for the review! I'm glad you like Liz, I can't write the real characters without screwing them up, so I've gotten use to making up my own. Glad you're liking the story!  
  
beyond the silence: Hiya again! Wow wow wow wow wow wow wow. . . just copying you ^.~ BTW lol! I've run my ink cartridge out too! Not his time, last story I printed out. This story I printed out completely, but I still have some ink left. Yay! I hope your friend likes the story, say thank you to her for me. Interactions were a bit mushy last chapter, but not bad, I think I'm happy with it. I'm really happy with this chapter, let's hope I'm just as happy with the next chapter, which I'll try to get up soon but I have to finish summer homework that I've been putting off and that might get in my way. O.o anywho, thanks for the reviews!  
  
Thanks again everyone!  
  
~Rave 


	21. Chapter 20

I'm an evil person who doesn't update. I've kinda not been working on the story at all. (If you can find me you have my permission to kill me.) Good news! I'm halfway through this next chapter so I'm going to put it up. That way you have something to read. And I will have the rest up in less than a month. Scout's honor.  
  
Chapter 20  
  
Clenching my fists I watched as Alucard was thrown into a table, sending dozens of vampires scattering as they tried to avoid the fight. Zeke kept walking towards Alucard, who kicked out at him from the ground. Zeke easily dodged it before kicking Alucard back, lifting him off the ground and into the next able.  
  
Alucard got to his feet before Zeke could reach him again. Zeke hesitated a moment, trying to throw in some strategy before rushing towards his opponent. Alucard had ditched his strategy at the door and charged head on. Zeke met him without moving, shoving his body against Alucard's. Alucard took a step back for a second before shoving himself at Zeke again.  
  
For a moment they wrestled on top of a broken table. All of the audience stood at a safe distance, their attention drawn to the fight. Then Zeke managed to knock Alucard to the ground, but Alucard pulled Zeke with him. The moment he hit the ground Alucard was rolling back, using his momentive to throw Zeke over his head and outside of the circle. Zeke flipped himself in the air to land on his feet, and they were soon both standing. Once again they charged.  
  
I watched with the same fascination as everyone else, but also with a hint of dread. They shouldn't have been fighting. I didn't want either of them hurt. I don't know how that was working, but for the moment I was really worried for their safety, and I was the only one in the room feeling that way.  
  
Ignoring that there was also the fact that they needed to stop fighting. If they didn't one of them might get killed, and I would have failed the Boss. That couldn't happen. I needed to kill Alucard and Zeke.  
  
I didn't want to. That frustrated me.  
  
One thing was certain, I had to stop this fight. What could I do? Jumping in between them might end badly. They were going faster than I had ever seen them, maybe they wouldn't be able to stop if I stepped in. I didn't even try to figure out how I was watching the fight move for move, that wasn't important.  
  
Looking over my options I considered several things. I could try to talk to them from the sides, avert their attention. The problem with that was what if one of them ignored me while the other didn't? Zeke might be looking my way long enough to let Alucard deliver a killing blow. It wasn't likely, but I couldn't take the chance. There wasn't really anything else I could do, though. I wasn't strong enough to force them to stop.  
  
In desperation I looked to the Boss for help. He had been watching me, waiting patiently for me to turn to him. Now he nodded to me, understanding the question before I had the chance to answer. He didn't move though, he did nothing to help.  
  
"Stop them!" I begged, knowing how pitiful I had to sound.  
  
The Boss continued to smile. Sighing I glared, then turned back to the fight. They had made it to the other side of the room, slowly tearing the place apart. I couldn't help but wonder if the Boss was annoyed that they were destroying everything. I was about to turn back to the Boss when Alucard got close enough to another vampire to draw his sword. Suddenly Zeke was facing an armed Alucard. All the other vampires had scattered, taking their weapons with them. With nothing else to do Zeke picked up a large chunk of a broken table and broke a leg off of it. Now he was holding a make shift stake. Both vampires stood ready, waiting for the other's move.  
  
Once again I turned to the Boss. He was watching the fight, but his eyes flickered towards me. This time he wasn't grinning at me, he merely looked thoughtful. I took a step towards him, preparing myself to march up to his thrown and demand he did something, but by the time I finished the first step he was gone. As if he had disappeared. I faulted, not sure where to go, when a hand grabbed my shoulder.  
  
I tried to turn but the Boss held firm. Clawed fingers dug into my shoulder as I tried to move. That was enough incentive for me to give in. "Stop them," I asked again.  
  
He didn't answer, but I felt him step closer. He was as close as he could be without touching me. It was unnerving that I couldn't even feel his breath on my neck. If it was a human there would have been some sign that he was there, something other than a hand and a gut feeling. Right now there was nothing.  
  
Then his second hand circled round my waist, pulling me in close to him. Pulling away would have been a bad idea but I didn't want to stay here. I kept expecting his hand to feel different. It wasn't scaly or wrinkly, just a little rough, but nothing too awkward.  
  
"Elisabeth?" he whispered, his mouth right next to me ear. A small shudder ran down my spine as cold air came with his words adding an extra bit of errieness. It wasn't unexpected though, he had no body heat, no way to warm the air he used to talk. "Elisabeth?"  
  
"Don't worry, I'm listening," I didn't want to sound scarred but it came out in a rushed whisper anyway.  
  
I could almost feel him smirk behind me. "We have a problem, yes?" I nodded. "And you want me to solve it?"  
  
I hesitated a moment before answering. I needed to know what exactly I wanted him to do. "I just want you to stop them from fighting."  
  
This time the Boss nodded. I couldn't see him, but I felt it. "Of course you do." He paused and I didn't dare speak. He wasn't wanting me to, anyway, he was just taking a moment to think. "Do you understand the problem with that?" I quickly shook my head. "Then I shall be quick in explaining.  
  
"If I send my men to stop them then they shall work together to destroy every last one of them. Alone they are lethal, together they are a nightmare. If I go myself then one of them will surely die. While I could render them useless it would take time, and they would take advantage of every second. Both have lived in my court long enough to know my weaknesses."  
  
"So how are you going to stop this? You can't just let them fight," I was sounding panicked.  
  
I felt the Boss nod. "Very true. Unfortunately I can not do what you're asking. I'm not sure I would if I could. In the end it doesn't matter. You will stop them and kill them and it will all be ended."  
  
I watched as Alucard sliced Zeke's stick in half before Zeke pushed the sword to the side and slammed what was left of the wood into Alucard's face. Alucard yelled as the wood tore at his face. He dropped the sword and grabbed Zeke's arm, pulling it away from him, then using it to keep Zeke in one place as he hit him, hard. Zeke cursed then back handed Alucard. Both of them were bloody, and both were healing abnormally fast.  
  
There was no way I could beat them, and I didn't want to. I didn't want to kill them. The Boss wanted me to, but that didn't matter. I wouldn't let it matter.  
  
How could I stop it? It didn't matter. I had to, I couldn't let the Boss win. I couldn't kill them.  
  
Something ripped threw my mind and I screamed. Clenching my eyes shut I started to shudder, feeling my body go limp The Boss held me tight so I wouldn't fall as voices paralyzed me. Thoughts ran up and down my head, leaving pain in their wake.  
  
"Stop fighting it and the pain will go away," the Boss stated. Opening my eyes a little to squint at the room I nodded. I could stop fighting it. I could make this better.  
  
'Don't you dare!'  
  
The thought tore threw me and I screamed again flinching so hard that the Boss tightened his grip. I half saw Zeke pause to look at me before he was knocked across the room, crashing hard to the floor. Instead of following up on his attack Alucard took his turn to look. I wave of anger and fear slipped over his face.  
  
'get off of her'  
  
the thought wasn't directed to me, but I knew who it came from. If I focused on someone their mind became clear. Alucard was pissed. He started towards us, intent on hurting the Boss, then Zeke grabbed him and he changed his mind.  
  
He knew one of them had to die to stop the Boss, and he didn't know if it should be him.  
  
'forget them and deal with this!'  
  
who said that? No, it's who thought that? I couldn't tell. Everyone was raving about the fight. They noticed everything, and were eager for more. Most had forgotten the Boss, forgotten that a girl was here to make their ruler all powerful. Those were the thoughts that blend together and became nothing more than a buzz. It was a loud buzz, so big I felt like my scull would split. Yet it wasn't too big that I couldn't hear over it.  
  
'Elisabeth, you do not want this. You do not want this pain'  
  
I nodded agreement, not able to place who the thoughts came from, and not caring.  
  
'You need to decide what voices you'll listen to'  
  
A different voice, equally firm.  
  
'Just listen to me, kill them. Kill them and it will be finished'  
  
The first voice again. He was pressuring me and I couldn't fight it. Everyone else agreed with him. Everyone else listened to him. He was forcing a stake into my hand, wrapping my fingers around it.  
  
'Kill them'  
  
"How?" had I said that out loud? I couldn't tell, I couldn't hear anything anymore.  
  
'Elisabeth Blake, don't you dare prove me right. You can't let him win'  
  
Who was that? Who were these people forcing their thoughts on me?  
  
"I-I can't d-do. . . I can't. . ." There was nothing anymore. No body, no sounds, nothing to see. The thoughts were the only thing constant, and they were too much. "I ca-can't deal with this."  
  
'then let me do it for you'  
  
Two voices, that had been two voices. Two people talking to me, trying to force their will. I couldn't take it, it didn't matter anymore. Let them do whatever they wanted to me, I didn't care. There was nothing left anyway, nothing for me to protect.  
  
Just like that I gave in, and the voices cleared.  
  
I found myself standing before I knew it. Slowly my eyes fluttered open to take in the sights around me.  
  
Ruins. That was what was left here, only ruins. Vampires were scattered, most outside the circle, far enough away not to be singled out, but close enough to watch. Zeke and Alucard were both standing. They were about fifty feet apart from each other, bloody and bruised. Alucard's arm hung at a wrong angle and Zeke favored his right leg. Both problems were disappearing rapidly, but not as quickly as either of the vampires would have liked.  
  
The Boss was still holding me. He was patiently waiting for me to get my bearings. I took a moment to make sure I was okay to stand. I felt a stake in my hand, not caring where I had gotten it from. I took a step forward and the Boss let me go. Raising my hands towards the ceiling I stretched. Slowly I lowered my arms, shifting from one leg to the other.  
  
I felt relaxed, ready. I took a moment to turn, seeing the Boss looking at me once more. His face was blank, his eyes bleak, but completely in control.  
  
He controlled me. Right now. I was doing what he wanted.  
  
Tilting my head I watched him watch me, considering this. He had opened his mind to me, consuming mine so that he could control what I would do. this did not bother me. It just raised so many ideas, so many realizations.  
  
I was going to win. I knew this. I was in charge, strong, important and above all necessary. I was going to win. And there wasn't a damn thing anyone could do to stop me.  
  
No, there was nothing they could do to stop the Boss. I wasn't going to win, I was just being used, a mere tool.  
  
I was frowning now. That wasn't good. How could I be a tool? I was better than that, better then the Boss, better than everyone here. Besides, I was the one who was needed. No one can get what they want if I don't do what they need me to. Right now all I was suppose to do was kill to vampires so that the Boss could gain ultimate power.  
  
I didn't like that idea. Not in the slightest. There was no reason why I shouldn't get what I want. Then again, what did I want? I want to be in charge. I want to be powerful, invincible. I want to be the Boss.  
  
But that can't happen, because the current Boss has made me his puppet, trapped me in his mind. I was just another pawn in his dangerous game of chess.  
  
There was a mistake in his planning. One he hadn't counted on. I found this amusing, though I didn't show it. I stood just as still and silent as the Boss, meeting his empty eyes with a set of my own. He didn't know that he had just let me win this fight. After all, I will win it. that was just fact. It was just the way things were. He had given me that determination, that certainty. He had shown me all the pieces to his plan, and in doing so he had allowed me to beat it. What the Boss wanted most is power, and I was that power.  
  
Now he couldn't touch it.  
  
Slowly I shifted my gaze to the two silent vampires who were still glaring at each other from opposite ends of the circle. For the Boss to get what he wanted I had to kill them. If I killed them he would kill me, and I would lose. I couldn't let him think I didn't want to kill them, though, else he will change his strategy to one that will work, and I will lose. I had to find a way to overpower everyone here, else I will remain like I am now. Weak and almost human. That won't let me win. I needed to win.  
  
"They are stronger than me," I told the Boss, waiting for him to explain how I should fix that problem.  
  
It was a moment before he answered. "You will have to use something other than strength to stop them."  
  
I nodded to this, considering that. I could easily work my way around this. Alucard was caught up in emotions and not thinking strait, that would work against him in so many ways. Zeke was harder. He was at least trying to think, but with Alucard gone he would be easier to control. His anger would be leashed and the Boss might even be able to stop him from doing anything.  
  
That didn't solve my problem though. I didn't want them dead. I might have to kill one to gain time, but the other would have to survive, or at least survive long enough for me to learn how I could get the power needed to side step the Boss. The Boss was still watching me, aware that I was spending a large portion of time thinking. I couldn't tell what he thought I was doing, what I was thinking about. I couldn't afford his suspicion, so I couldn't wait any longer. I'd have to figure the rest out as I go.  
  
I kept my stride slow and purposeful. Zeke and Alucard still weren't fighting. As far as I could tell all injuries were healed, but they were still waiting, taking a break as they kept close watch on each other.  
  
Following my earlier plan I walked towards Alucard, perfectly aware that both of them were carefully watching me while never letting me be their main focus. I continued to walk until I was standing within reach of Alucard. He began to get edgy, switching his weight from one foot to the other. For half a second his eyes darted to me, then quickly back to Zeke before he could move. Zeke wasn't moving though, he was watching us closely, as nervous as Alucard.  
  
"You need to stop fighting," I said firmly.  
  
Again Alucard's eyes darted my way. "Liz get out of here."  
  
I shook my head. "No. You need to stop. This need's to stop."  
  
Alucard glared at me for a second, taking a bigger risk this time, then again kept his focus on Zeke. "I can't Liz, you know I can't."  
  
"Why not?" I kept my voice light, or tried to. I couldn't stop a threat from slipping out unintentionally. I didn't like when people disobeyed. He shouldn't question me, he should do as I tell him to.  
  
"I can't let him kill you." he said it as a statement.  
  
I smiled softly, a kind smile. "I'll be fine, he won't hurt me. You can't get hurt, either. I won't let you."  
  
Alucard's resolve faltered for a moment. He didn't want to fight anymore. He hated it here, he hated the Boss. He didn't care if he lost. All he really cared about was keeping me safe. I almost laughed at that thought, almost. Instead I hid it, keeping my cover.  
  
"Alucard, please," I wasn't quite begging, but I was getting close. "Just stop and we can find a way out of here. We'll be okay."  
  
Now Alucard was ignoring Zeke completely. He had forgotten about the fight, trapped in a hopeful lie. Zeke wasn't attacking though, he wasn't pushing forward or making himself known. He was letting himself blend in to his surrounds just like every other vampire in the room. I took a moment to wonder why, then returned to my plan before Alucard had time to think about why I was suddenly stepping in.  
  
Slowly I reached out my hand to Alucard, asking him to trust me.  
  
He hesitated a moment, trying to think things over. Why was I here offering him this way out? How could I make it happen? He didn't know, and I couldn't let him consider it. If he started using logic this plan wouldn't work.  
  
I couldn't move forward, I couldn't push myself on him. If I started to push he'd start to doubt. Besides, I'd never do that, or perhaps I should say Liz would never do that. The girl he loved wouldn't throw herself at a guy.  
  
I took a step back, lowering my hand. Let him wonder why. "Fine, keep fighting," I muttered, turning away.  
  
Alucard reached out and stopped me. "Wait," he said. I paused for a moment, half turned. "Don't go."  
  
Hiding a smirk I turned back to him. He looked so desperate, so needing. It was pathetic. His emotions would be his downfall, all because he fell in love with a girl. He was so focused on that, so focused on me, that he hadn't even noticed I was holding a stake. Again I held back signs of emotions, anything that would give him away, make him stop to think. Hiding my face I leaned against him, buying time.  
  
"He's going to kill you," Alucard had already decided on that. He wasn't changing his mind. Right now he knew I was a danger, but he was willing to ignore the fact for some semblance of peace.  
  
I wrapped one arm around him, the one without the stake. "No, he' not." I meant that.  
  
Alucard didn't believe me, but he hugged me anyway, pulling me close to him. Carefully I moved the stake closer to him as I brought my arm up towards his chest. I didn't let the stake touch him, nor did I let him see it. He wasn't going to do anything to defend himself until he actually had proof I was trying to hurt him. Normally I would just stake any vamp I was trying to kill when I was this close, but Alucard was different. I had the feeling he would know I was attacking, and be fast enough to stop it.  
  
"Liz. . ." he started. For a moment I was worried. I could tell by the sound of his voice that he was going to say something important now. He was thinking about it though, thinking about what to say, and I knew that if he thought too much he might pull out of this, might save himself now. Lucky for me I didn't let that happen. He was gazing down on me with some sort of love, granted it was bent awkwardly because of certain current factors, but it was still there, and I did the first thing I could think of.  
  
Rising up on the tips of my toes I stole all the thoughts from his head with one smooth movement. The kiss was deep, passionate, and completely meaningless to me. Alucard was caught up in it, though. I was happy to let him be. He was centered on me for this moment, not on my hands, or my movements, just me. He was so focused he wouldn't notice me slipping a stake into his heart. It was the opportune moment. Absolutely perfect.  
  
And I didn't do it.  
  
"Oh my god, you fucking moron!" Alucard pulled back with a jerk at the sound of Zeke shouting. I was jerked out of daze, also, and for a moment we just stared at each other in utter confusion. Then Zeke spoke again. "Come on, man. She's holding a stake! Did you even see the stake? We've been fighting for god knows how long and here you are just giving up to the first of Boss's tricks because he's waving a girl at you! You gullible, stupid ass! I can't even think of something bad enough to call—"  
  
"Zeke, hush," the Boss's voice was incredibly soft, but everyone heard him. Zeke shut up, and everyone else stopped moving. In an instant there was nothing to be heard. Not even a second latter the Boss was amongst us, standing between me and Alucard.  
  
"Elisabeth," he said coldly. I could feel his anger growing. I had done something wrong, and he wasn't happy. "Why isn't he dead?" I stared back coldly, unimpressed. I didn't kill Alucard. That was fine, I'd work around it.  
  
The human bit of me didn't believe that. It wasn't that I couldn't find a way around all this, or that I didn't have a shot to win, I knew I had that, it was that I had honestly wanted to kill Alucard. I had no reason not to. There was nothing stopping me, no human emotion to cloud my mind, and I still couldn't do it.  
  
It was as if someone else was in my head.  
  
Frowning I slowly glanced around the room. Rotating in a circle I was aware that the Boss was watching me. Everyone was watching me. I didn't care anymore though. I cared about one person in here, and I didn't know who it was. Who was there who didn't want Alucard dead? Alucard was too caught up in the moment and Zeke wouldn't have stopped me. Okay, maybe Zeke would have, but he really did want Alucard dead so I knew it wasn't him. There weren't any other vampires in the room who had the courage to force their opinion on me.  
  
When the circle ended and I was once again facing the Boss I just glared at him for a few moments. He stared black with fury, and I knew I was getting no where. "It wasn't me," I growled, defensive.  
  
"Some one made you stop?" He asked mockingly.  
  
My eyebrow twitched. "Hey smart one, what the hell have you been doing?"  
  
The Boss smirked. "You think someone else could out power me?" He believed he was all powerful. I could feel his arrogance seeping into me. I honestly flinched at the feeling. The arrogance was filling me, but at the same time, it was a part of me. I was the Boss, I was arrogant.  
  
I just hated it. I hated him.  
  
"Wait," I murmured, suddenly realizing something. "This, all of this, this should happen," my eyes flickered to the Boss, then to Alucard. "Forget for a moment that your a pompous ass, but I should be thinking like you. I mean, just like you. That's not happening."  
  
The Boss frowned. "What do you mean?"  
  
'what do you think.'  
  
"What do you think?" I said, suddenly calm. For an instant I relaxed, all of the tension that I had been building up just leaked out of me. I tilted my head to the side and stared at everyone, as if taking in the picture for the first time. My eyes met the Boss's and black pits tried to engulf me. With a shrug I smirked. Try all he might I wasn't going anywhere. But I did, I went away, or the calm did. It was just gone, leaving me alone and shaken as the Boss filled my mind with angry thoughts as he glared holes into me.  
  
"I think you're not obeying me," the Boss said after what was actually a lengthy pause. A grim satisfaction came to me, right before I screamed.  
  
Jolt after jolt of sharp pain forced its way through my brain, driving me back to the all too familiar ground. Every one of them sent the same message: Don't disobey, don't rebel. I wanted so badly to listen, to just give in. That was as likely as me killing Alucard. I wanted to cry with the frustration of it all. The best I could do was to mutter, "Stop!" between jolts of pain. I heard the Boss laughing. He thought I was funny.  
  
"Stop," I said again, a little louder. I forced myself to look up at him, meeting his gaze. He mearly grinned, and I screamed louder.  
  
Don't disobey. Kill Alucard.  
  
It was all too simple. Thank god I had no need for oxygen, I would never be able to breath through this.  
  
"Okay," I started so softly I didn't know if even the vampires could hear me. "I'm begging now," the pain stopped for just a moment, but that didn't matter anymore. Some twist of fate returned my mind to me. I was thinking as myself, with a lot of influences mind you, but I could still recognize a distinct me. "Whoever you are who's decided to lend me a hand, this would be the time you bail me out of here." At the end of my speech the pain returned in full force, but at least I had tried to make an effort.  
  
It took me about two seconds to realize that if anyone was listening to my plea they weren't going to help me by rushing in and destroying the bad guys. Oh no, things were never that easy. Two seconds after that I was lying on my back, staring up at endless darkness while trying to stop shivering. My mind was a mush of fuzz, but I was getting comfortable with that.  
  
Again the calm came to me, blocking out everything the Boss was sending me. For a moment I just let myself lie there and relax.  
  
"You know, Elisabeth, you're only making this difficult," The Boss's words drifted to me, but I wasn't listening to him anymore. "It never should have taken this long." I didn't realize he was near me until he was lifting me up with one arm, and using the other to turn my head so that I had to look at him. "You should be dead already."  
  
It took effort to shake my head. The Boss let go of me at the same time he backhanded me. For the first time I got an estimate of his strength, and it sent me flying across the room. I think one of the vampires actually took effort to move into my path of flight. I crashed into him and we both fell. My jaw was inflamed, broken, bloody, and healing. I couldn't have gotten to my feet if I wanted to, but I made an effort to at least look at the Boss.  
  
That was about the time Alucard charged at him. He didn't fair as well as I did. It took the Boss two moves. The first was to step to the side during the charge and reach out towards Alucard's neck and snap it. The second was to be lift him by a broken neck and throw him. Strait into the gapping Zeke.  
  
'no'  
  
"No," I gasped, watching them both crash to the ground. That one word brought the Boss's attention back to me. Ever so slowly he began to walk towards me.  
  
"Elisabeth," he started. "Listen to me."  
  
'Listen to me.'  
  
Two different voices.  
  
"You have been troublesome"  
  
'You can't let this happen.'  
  
"Rebellious,"  
  
'I can't stop him for you.'  
  
"And just plane annoying." I squirmed under his gaze, trying, and failing, to pull myself up. "You will do as I tell you to."  
  
'You need to let me help you.'  
  
"You can't stop me."  
  
'You can't let him win.'  
  
"I will win," The statement rang true in my ears. I cringed as I heard him. He was right, he was always right about this. He always won.  
  
'You're not really thinking that.'  
  
"You stand no chance."  
  
'You know he's lying.'  
  
"This is your final battle, yes?"  
  
'don't let it be'  
  
"Then do the right thing. Fight with me!" Excitement spread through me. The Boss's anger was fading with anticipation. His arrogance fueled me again. He would win. I would win. There was no stopping me. Nothing but a human voice nagging in my head. But what good were humans? I had been one, I was useless, weak. "We could win this together!" I found myself nodding.  
  
'You could win this alone.'  
  
"There is nothing stopping you."  
  
'Damn it, I'm stopping you!'  
  
"No one is controlling you."  
  
'You need to do this alone. I won't step in. Don't make me.'  
  
"Just kill them."  
  
'No. You won't kill him, I won't let you. . .'  
  
I looked up at both of them, and for the first time I could see it all. I could see her inches from me, staring into me, willing me to listen to what she was saying. They were both right, but it didn't matter. Airaei was standing there, pleading with me, and the Boss stood just behind her, oblivious to the fact that there was a Lerian floating right there in front of him. Airaei was the one thing standing between him and me. Behold the irony.  
  
One thing was bothering me. "You shouldn't be here," I stated.  
  
The Boss looked confused a moment. "I am this world," he stated. I blew him off, watching Airaei.  
  
'I'm with you. You knew you'd come here, I had to make sure you'd leave.'  
  
"It doesn't matter," the boss snapped impatiently.  
  
'There's just one thing to help you.'  
  
"Just finish it"  
  
'Besides—'  
  
"You know—"  
  
"—It all ends here," I finished for both of them. Airaei and the Boss were both quiet, staring at me intently. I stared back as Airaei slowly faded away with a worried expression on her face. I grinned at were she was. For just an instant I felt something. I knew in my mind exactly where she had been, I could feel the imprint she had left. A flaw she had created in the world around her. A gap into magic.  
  
"What are you doing Elisabeth?" the boss asked carefully.  
  
I just stared at that one spot, probing it, as I answered. "I wonder. . ." I nudged it with my mind, and everything around me shifted. For a single moment everything had changed. I was linked, connected, to everything here. The entire world, my entire existence, and the magic that controlled this dimension, was placed in front of me. It pushed at my mind, using it as a source to gain entrance to my essence, my being. Just like every other piece of magic here it fueled me. It wasn't much, that first dose, but the pureness of it, pure magic, felt so intoxicating. ". . . where am I?"  
  
The Boss narrowed his eyes. It took him two steps to close the distance between us. I could feel he wanted to hurt me. He thought I was mocking him, insulting him. He was going to make me pay, make me listen. I wouldn't defy him.  
  
But I would. I did.  
  
This wasn't a fair fight. While I had the speed, agility and strength of the Boss, he had the skills I lacked. Years of training as a Slayer were for nothing when put up against the precision of the boss's movements. By focusing his efforts he could do more in one move then I could do in ten. Besides, nothing I did really seemed to hurt him.  
  
A solid punch in the chest slowed the Boss for a moment. It was long enough for me to turn and kick him. Even though he was knocked back several feet he was quick enough to get back up an deliver the same blows with twice as much force. Unlike the Boss I landed badly, landing me on the ground. Showing no signs of chivalry he loomed over me, delivering a well-placed blow every time I tried to stand. It didn't take long for me just to stop and wait for what he would do next.  
  
"You know how pointless this is," The Boss declared. I didn't bother to confirm the statement. "You can end this!" He insisted.  
  
From the ground I shrugged. "I can end this, yes, but I don't have to. I don't want you to win this, so I won't let you. The only way I know how to stop you is to not lose here. You can't defeat me, even if I can't beat you. That'll have to be enough."  
  
The Boss kicked me in frustration, hard enough to lift me off the ground. I spun in the air then landed hard. Already my body was healing any and all injuries.  
  
"Do you think you can stop me?" the Boss asked angrily.  
  
I shook my head. "I think I can stall you."  
  
"To what purpose?" he demanded to know.  
  
I smirked. "At the moment, just to piss you off." I had moved far enough away when he kicked me that I had time to move out of his way when he tried to kick again. I half-crawled a few feet before I could resume standing, then I ran backwards several yards until I was sure I'd have time to avoid any assault.  
  
"You seek to mock me?" the Boss started walking towards me. I kept pace with him, not wanting him to get too close. "Do you think that would help?"  
  
"I think that when this is all over I'll have a very high pain tolerance," I stated.  
  
The boss just glared silently. Then I tripped over something. When I hit the ground I realized we had made it to a set of tables and I was now lying on one. The good news was that when the Boss caught up to me I had a make shift stake out and ready., I didn't get a chance to attempt to use it though. The Boss grabbed my arm that was holding the stake and used it to pull me to my feet. I did the best I could to steady myself while the Boss glared at me.  
  
Lowering my hand he began to talk. "You have been quite troublesome," his hand moved from my arm to the stake I was holding, "I have had enough of it." His hand tightened around the stake for a moment, then he let go, turning away from me and began to walk back towards the middle of the room.  
  
There was a long moment where I just stood there watching him. The Boss had calmed down completely. I felt awkward as he took his seat upon his thrown, leaving me behind him. "Perhaps I have been approaching this dilemma in the wrong way," he murmured.  
  
Still I just stared, not sure of what was happening. Then I felt the stake in my hand move. Blinking my surprise I glanced at it, the glance being quickly followed by a yelp of surprise and a thud from me dropping the no- longer-a-stake, which had suddenly transformed into a long, black snake.  
  
"I've been trying to force you to obey me, threw power, then fear," The Boss continued to talk as different objects began to change shape. Bowls and spoons were being exchanged for frogs and toads, while all sorts of objects changed into different creatures. I felt like I was in some fairy tail bog that was out to get me. "You changed things, Elisabeth. Some how you found the core of what I created here, and mutated it to your liking," The creatures slithered, jumped, and slid around me, slowly drawing closer. I didn't dare move, not sure of where I could go. "You see though, I can change things to."  
  
In an instant everything vanished. Tables, chairs, and creatures were all gone. We were left in an empty room with the cowering vampire, who were all hiding anyway. The only things left on the floor were the unconscious forms of Zeke and Alucard.  
  
"So are you going to scare me some more?" I asked, glancing for the next thing he'd send after me.  
  
Nothing came, but the Boss went on. "There would be no point. Your valor won't allow you to surrender so easily. Have you not been afraid?" I didn't answer, but the Boss assumed the answer was yes, and he was right. "Then what should I do? I am curious at how I should persuade you to do as I want you to."  
  
"I don't think you can," I said bluntly.  
  
His head turned slightly in my direction. "I do agree. But it's not a matter of "can" but rather of "how." What do you want that I can give you?"  
  
I actually paused to think. The Boss had power, probably money along with most of the American underworld under his control, but I didn't want those things. I wanted to get out of here, to have my friends safe, to be normal. None of that fit with the boss's plans. "I don't think we can both get what we want."  
  
Slowly the Boss nodded, that one movement showing complete understanding, and a certain decision. With a quick flick of his wrist he motioned someone into movement. Seconds later the vampires that had hidden for so long came out. Guards dressed in chainmail marched up to me, surrounding me.  
  
"I'm afraid there's nothing else to be done. Time is growing short and you refuse to allow me to gather my complete power. However I can wait, even if the maximum potential may not be reached this way. You will be held in the vault until you agree to my terms or my mages learn to reverse the spell."  
  
He was the judge and his words were my sentence. I had been tested and tried and her was determined that this was what he needed to do. There was a moment when I was confused, but that was short lived. Vampires were approaching me with chains and other constraints, not leaving me with any way to escape.  
  
"Wait a second" I murmured, not fighting as cold steal surrounded my wrists. "It can't be this simple. All of that... all of that drama just to put me in chains?" I was answered with more chains, until my ankles, wrists, and neck were bound together. The Boss didn't even seem to be paying attention.. "Is this it? You're just going to throw me into some cell? Answer me!"  
  
A guard tried to grab my shoulder, to force me to move, I shrugged him off. Another guard took hold of me, this time with an iron grip. I yanked hard, forcing myself out of his grip. "Send all of your vampires at me, I don't care. I'm not letting you set me aside like some toy you grew tired of."  
  
Hands clawed at me while the Boss ignored me. I glared at him while being tugged in a different direction. "Quite ignoring me!" I yelled in frustration, while at the same time pushing the crowd away from me. I touched one vampire, pushing him hard, but not hard enough to send him flying, yet he flew anyway. Then the rest followed, a circle of vampires around me jumped into the air and flew backwards, away from me.  
  
I took a moment to wonder how I had forced them back, then the moment ended and my attention returned to the Boss. Without a thought I snapped the chains on my wrists. The chains on my feet just fell away, followed quickly by the collar on my neck.  
  
Striding towards the Boss I willed him to look at me, to admit that I was a threat he had to deal with. He continued to sit calmly, resting against his chair. "What will you do now?" I demanded to know. "Your creatures couldn't contain me, and you refuse to fight," I said it as an accusation.  
  
The Boss seemed to take a big breath before moving, then all his movements were drawn out, taking a painfully long time. We both hesitated for just a moment before he began to turn his head and I walked faster. The Boss was slow, taking all the time in the world, I was rushed, not wanting to have to wait for a moment.  
  
I watched his face slowly come into view, his eyes scanning the room as his head turned oh so slowly. There was a drawn out blink at the last moment before he finally opened his eyes and met mine full out, holding nothing back.  
  
~  
  
I randomly logged on today, and I saw new reviews, and if it wasn't for that this wouldn't be on. I don't have time at the moment to mention names, but special thanks will be added later. Thanks for the inspiration, and I hope you like this half a chapter.  
  
~Rave Luki 


	22. Chapter 202

Chapter 20.2  
  
There wasn't time to notice his face had faded from yellow to a bluish white, to see his pupils fill his eyes to the point that nothing else was left, or to see that the room shivered with the threat of fading reality. I  
  
knew it happened, I felt it happen, but I was thrown away to a different place before I could witness it.  
  
I had hit a wall. Literally. One moment I had been charging towards the Boss, then the next I slammed into something very solid. After taking a step back to reorinentate myself and thank about what the hell just happened it didn't take long to realize where I was: back in the Boss's vault.  
  
"Damn it," I muttered to myself as I quickly surveyed the musty room. there was nothing here, just a dusty floor and brick walls. There were no windows, no sounds, no glimpses of the outside world. In frustration I slammed a fist into the door.  
  
"Lemme out! You can't—"my raving was cut short when I saw the door ripple. It was as if I had dropped a pebble in a pond. Circles spread from my fist until they eventually faded away. I pulled my hand back, hesitating for a moment, then with all the force I could muster I slammed the door again with both hands. The room quivered.  
  
"What's wrong?" I asked the walls. "Having trouble maintaining this place? Surely I'm not that difficult." My fists slammed into the wall again. I could feel the room sway. "What's making you weak, Boss? Why is it you can't even keep a prison cell together?" The question was more for me than him.  
  
I stepped away from the wall, slumping to the ground. The Boss was weak for the time being, I understood that, but I also understood that hitting a wall wouldn't solve my problems. I had to do that some other way. I had to take out the Boss, and this dimension he created for himself. They were connected, obviously, so killing the Boss would destroy this place, and maybe, perhaps, destroying the place would kill him.  
  
Butterflies attacked my stomach when I considered that idea. If it were possible... but how would I even begin to cause damage? The world belonged to the Boss, I knew nothing about it. I didn't have a clue as to how I had made things happen before.  
  
But I had made things happen.  
  
Slowly I looked up at the wall, considering possibilities. I sat statue still as I examined every inch of the smooth, changeless surface. I could feel my powers waning, the Boss felling faint. How long had I been like this? How long did it take for me to return to a stable state? Back to the was I was? Soon, I think, I would simply be me. No extra power to save myself with.  
  
Struggling I pushed myself back up to my feet. I felt weak, tired, completely used up. The power sustaining me had been working hard to keep me together, and now it didn't want to do it anymore.  
  
I staggered over to where the door should have been, leaning against a too solid wall. I kicked it in frustration, ignoring the light ripples bouncing off my foot, rolling under me as they spread. I didn't want to be here. I needed not to be here. This whole world felt wrong, bad, evil. I didn't want to be a part of it.  
  
The room flinched. Well, it looked like it flinched. I could be sure, but from the corner of my eye I saw the room squeeze together for an instant, as if someone gripped it's shoulder hard, startling it. But I hadn't felt anything move, no ripples or vibrations. Maybe this place was driving me mad, just like everyone else in this hellhole.  
  
Sighing I slumped, putting as much wait on the wall as I could without sliding back down to the ground. "Damnit, I just want out of here!" I all but groaned.  
  
This time I saw more clearly. The walls started to move in sync with my eyelids, seeming to close at the same time I blinked. I didn't see much, the walls weren't much slower than my eyes, and I had been blinking, but in the fraction of a second I saw clearly enough that I knew I wasn't imagining things. I had seen the walls squeeze together, and leave an opening behind them that led back out to the Boss's thrown room. All but the wall I leaned against had jumped to my command.  
  
I want out.  
  
The thought triggered the walls. I jumped towards the nearest corner, trying to squeeze through the gap before it disappeared. I wasn't even close. The walls had shut before I even started to move.  
  
"Lemme out!" I commanded. The corner I was in wasn't phased, but the other three were. They snapped together, letting me glimpse the world outside, and I managed to catch sight of the Boss's empty throne. Then the walls silently slammed shut. There should have been a thud, I should have felt something shudder. Every sense but my eyes told me nothing had happened.  
  
"Do you enjoy mocking me?" I asked the walls, not sure if someone was controlling them, or if they were doing it themselves. "You're not listening to me. You act like you'll do what I tell you, then you slam shut in my face!" I kicked the wall hard and the ripples shot out, spreading from where I kicked to the walls beside it an even into the ceiling and floor. I felt myself roll with it, but I didn't care. "If you're going to let me out, then let me out. Id not then stop playing these damn games!" I ended shouting, feeling out of breath, even if I couldn't be.  
  
But the walls opened.  
  
I stared at the gap where walls should have been, looking out through it at the bleak nothingness of the thrown room. There was nothing to see but the throne, which had captured light from somewhere in the room, adding a yellow tint to the obsidian stone. I couldn't see where the light came from, but the shadows danced about the room, shifting occasionally. I didn't know if this was dangerous. I didn't know if the light was real. I didn't know if I was about to walk into another trap, but I walked in anyway. As I stepped past what was left of the wall I watched it carefully, as if it would slam shut on me if I didn't. When it didn't squish me my eyes shifted to the thrown, watching it curiously with a bit of apprehension.  
  
My heals clicked on the floor, sounding too loud against the audible silence. I took a step further into the room, uneasy with the noise I was making and feeling out of place. I felt a gentle breeze against my back, longing to hear some hint of where it came from. Instead I heard my shoes turn and my clothes ruffle as I glanced behind me, searching for the source of the wind.  
  
There was nothing but fading light that didn't reach too far from where I stood. I stared at the floor that disappeared into darkness, wondering what happened to the room I had been in. It had vanished. Everything that had been here, what little that had been, was gone, leaving in it's wake an empty thrown that held the only source of light.  
  
I didn't move my feet as I turned back to look at the thrown. Silence remained as I studied it. That one chair was the only flaw in the vast nothingness surrounding it. Well, the chair and me. Two flaws that were stuck here in this room. I wondered if the thrown ever wanted to leave.  
  
I began walking around the room, slowly circling it so I could examine it from every side. While it was the center of light in the room, it wasn't the source. As I spiraled closer I noticed that it didn't shine everywhere, the shadows cast looked as if the light was sitting on the chair itself. I was left in shadows as I walked behind it, and my pace quickened slightly so that I could leave them and end in front of the chair, staring at it.  
  
It was only when I stopped walking that I knew I shouldn't have come so close. Unease filled my stomach, creeping under my skin. Absently I rubbed my arms, feeling cold. There was nothing intimidating, nothing foreboding; I just really didn't want to be there. But where else was there to go? Into the darkness? As much as I wanted to escape this feeling backing away was impossible. I wasn't going to leave the one source of light here, no matter where it came from.  
  
"Listen." I said softly staring at the ground as I thought. "I know someone can hear me. Are you the Boss? I don't care, really. Quit playing with me. I'm just as trapped here as I was in the vault, and we both know it. I want to leave, will you help me or not?"  
  
There was no response. "I take it that it doesn't matter anymore. Who cares what I want, you're just going to kill me anyway." I sighed, visibly tired. "I don't believe it, you know. I don't believe you can just keep me here." My eyes raised to the chair, to the light that was sitting in it. "I know it's faint, but I'm still partly the Boss. You listen to him, so listen to me.  
  
"Aulcard--Dexion-- I want him here, alive as he can be. I want Zeke, too, awake but not picking fights. Bring me a weapon, something I can use, something I can kill with.  
  
"Bring me the Boss. In this chair. I don't want him to leave here until I kill him." My voice was flat, empty. There was no command in the tone, nothing to scare or startle, but that wasn't needed. Not with this. I was talking to a chair, I doubt it cared whether I yelled or cried at it, but it would listen, and it would obey.  
  
I heard a thump behind me, something landing hard. It brought noise with it. No just the sounds, but the lack of silence. I hadn't realized how hard I was listening until after I could hear, and I heard everything.  
  
Zeke, I knew it was him, pushed himself up to sitting. His pants chaffed against the floor as hr bent his knee, making it easier to lean forward. One hand stayed behind him, keeping him from falling back, the other rested in his lap. He didn't try to stand up, he knew he couldn't. Sore muscles screamed in protest already, wanting only to lay motionless.  
  
He stared at me, wondering why I just stood there, staring at an empty chair, my arms crossed as I waited. He tried to say something, but when he opened his mouth his throat was sore and dry, his breath raspy and unable to produce words. He watched as I shifted from my weight from one foot to another, a movement I hadn't been aware of until I saw it through his eyes.  
  
He blinked. I blinked. Alucard blinked.  
  
I hadn't heard Alucard show up. Zeke must not have been paying attention. Although Zeke wasn't paying attention, Alucard was. Perhaps it was because Alucard had fallen into the room facing Zeke, not me. He had landed to my left, Zeke to my right. He wasn't sure why he was here, or why Zeke was either. He saw Zeke staring and tried to follow his gaze. Catching a glimpse of me he tried to turn quicker, to get a better view. Instead he flinched, wincing in pain. He too was sore, as sore as Zeke perhaps. He hadn't felt like this before. What had happened before? He'd been fighting with Zeke then the Boss... did something and he was unconscious. Now he was here, Zeke was here. Liz was--  
  
"Liz," he gasped. Alucard's throat was just as sore, but he managed to talk. I didn't move or acknowledge him, so he tried again. "Liz!" it was more of a croak than anything. I still didn't move, but I wasn't really in my body so that was understandable, to me at least. Zeke did notice though. He looked at Alucard, than back to me, and once again at Alucard. Alucard barely glanced at him before trying one last time. "Elisabeth!"  
  
Shaking my head I sighed. I didn't look away from the chair as I answered. "I can hear you. You shouldn't move though, at least not until you feel better." I heard Alucard shuffle around, ignoring my suggestion. I sighed again, and the light flickered.  
  
Blinking I took a step back. The chair was sparking, reflecting the unstable light that rested in it. Zeke cursed and managed to get to his feet, with much stumbling and many muttered words. He tried to walk towards me, but he stumbled and I waved him back.  
  
The light flashed again and I half stepped back. Rays jumped off the seat, flying in all directions. One zapped my hand, a small sting. I stepped back again, shaking my hand as if it would help with the pain.  
  
"Any idea what's happening?" Zeke's voice was clear, no rasp to be heard. "Liz?" I shook my head, not to say I didn't know, but to get him to stop talking.  
  
Lights flared, sparks flew. I was hit again in my shoulder and I hissed in pain. Then again, harder, the spark burning a hole in my shirt. I looked down at it for a moment, a stupid mistake, for when I looked back up the last of the sparks had used themselves up, leaving the Boss standing in their place, grinning down on me. Startled I stepped back, fear sneaking onto my face. The Boss grinned at my weakness, his red eyes glaring down on me.  
  
I heard a whistling sound that changed slightly into a loud whoosh, something falling. Again I should have ignored it, the slight distraction left me helpless when I turned back to the Boss and his fist was already swinging. Yelping I ducked, throwing my hands over my face. The Boss missed, but he continued his assault. I had to stumble backwards, causing me to fall. The Boss loomed over me, grinning triumphantly. Again I hear the noise, barely seeing something falling out of the darkness.  
  
I didn't have the time to be surprised so I skipped that, moving on to grin up at the Boss, my eyes shedding all of the previous fear as they twinkled up at him, promising trouble. He faltered, giving me the time I need. Bracing myself against the floor I used my whole body to push up feet first, placing a kick in the Boss's gut. I pushed off of him and he flew backwards into the chair behind him. I flipped, my hands still on the ground pushing myself up a little further so I could flip and land neatly on my feet. The floor shook as I landed, but I think that was from the Boss's impact, not mine. The chair shuddered as the walls in my cell had.  
  
Standing I reached one hand out and caught the falling object. I twirled it a few times, getting a feel for it as I casually strolled up to the Boss, not allowing myself to get distracted by the new arrival. The Boss's eyes were focused on my weapon but I didn't let my guard down as I showed him my weapon.  
  
"Like it?" I asked softly, being as in awe of the scythe as he was. "Buffy pulled it from a stone, you know. It's the Slayers' weapon, made to kill umber vamps and other ghouls." The Boss looked at me, perfectly aware of what other ghouls I was referring to. My hands tightened around the scythe, but my posture stayed relaxed and fluid, ready to move.  
  
He began to stand up, moving with amazing speed, but I could follow him. It wasn't too fast. I swung the scythe in a downward arc, aiming for his head. The Boss raised his hand to grab it, reaching for the handle, blocking any chance of me hitting where I had wanted to. At the last second I twitched the scythe, too fast for the Boss to adjust to. Instead of his head, the scythe thrust into the Boss's outstretched hand. It split to the wrist.  
  
The Boss roared and I jerked the scythe out. The skin on his face stretched tight, giving him the appearance of a fanged skull with red blazing eyes. He hissed at me, like some all too real movie monster, extending claws and fangs as he attacked. I stood my ground, staring back at him, ready for whatever he came at me with, unimpressed.  
  
He backhanded me with his good hand. Quick and painful. My head twisted from the blow, eyes clinching shut as I recovered. I wasn't fast enough. Before I even opened my eyes the Boss shoved his hand against my stomach, not as a fist, but an open palm. My eyes snapped open as I tried to move, but he was quicker again. With a word in Latin and a strong shove I was sent flying, unsure of what power the Boss had called to his aid.  
  
The landing would have been harder if I hadn't hit someone. Alucard had got in my way, jumping out to stop me. Together we hit the floor, sliding backwards another ten feet during the landing though Alucard absorbed the impact leaving my virtually unscathed. I risked glancing at him, my eyes saying thanks, before I climbed to my feet, once again facing the Boss.  
  
He was still standing in front of his thrown, this time not being so mad at me, his anger was directed at Alucard. He was downright livid. I smirked, resting the scythe on my shoulders as I put a hand on my hip.  
  
"Come on, Bossy, you can do better than that," I took a step or two forwards as I taunted him. "I'm looking for a fight and you're just playing around."  
  
Again he hissed, showing us all a clear view of the demon inside him. He was beginning to look more and more like an umber vamp, and there was no trace of humanity left in him. "Fool!" He cried. "You seek to challenge me? I'll rip you to pieces! Tear your limbs apart as I scramble your guts and feed your entrails to my servants!" He was enjoying the ideas too much, his eyes gleamed with excitement as he thought up new tortures to use.  
  
I shrugged at him, waving it off. "I'll grow back."  
  
Everyone has a fatal flaw. The Boss had two. The fist was that I was connected to him. Just as I had with Zeke and Alucard, I could feel him. I could tell how he moved, feel what he though. There weren't anymore surprises, everything that should have created problems... didn't.  
  
The second was simple. He was pissed. All his sheilds that could have kept me out of him mind, all of the strength he could have drawn forth, were non- existant. He was weak. I couldn't help but smile at him. That only made it worse.  
  
There was nothing human in his growl. All allusions of humanity were long gone. I wondered if his anger effected his thoughts or hurt his fighting skills. A look in his eyes told me it didn't. Cold, calculated fury stared back at me. He watched me as carefully as I watched him. I could feel him thinking, planing, waiting... waiting for... Now.  
  
I blinked and he had moved. Still I smiled a cocky grin as I staired at where he had been. Although I couldn't see or hear him approach I was ready. Already I was turning, my scythe swinging as the Boss attacked with clawed fingers. His hand had already healed, leaving only a thin white scar where it had been split in two. The attack that should have racked across my back didn't come close, instead my scythe slice his chest, cutting deep as it sliced through bones.  
  
Blood sprayed and I jumped away from him, creating distance between us. He lookd surprized, but quickly recovered, moving again. He began circling me, moving too fast for me to see, but I always knew where he was. "You think you will destroy me?" his voice was a hiss, a whispere in the darkness that came from every direction, moving with him. "Even if you could, it would kill you. You and your pets." Laughet flowed around me. "I am this world, without me here there'd be nothing."  
  
I nodded slowly. "But you couldn't support this world by yourself," I countered. "You have nothing to feed you, nothing to keep you running." The Boss didn't answer.  
  
"You're right," Zeke said. I'd half forgotten about him being here, but my body didn't react to the reminder, I stayed focused on the Boss. "It's not possible unless someone brought him food, and no one ever did. I never once saw him feed unless it was to turn someone."  
  
"What does that mean?" I wondered.  
  
Alucard answered. "He has a power source here. who knows what?" Alucard had been here the longest. If he didn't know...  
  
I opened my mouth to speak and the Boss took advantage of what he must have thought would have distracted me. Once again his previous cut had been reduced to a scar, but I didn't spend time looking at it as his hands sliced towards me. I twisted away from his fingers and he clawed again. Parrying with my scythe I closed my eyes, feeling my way through his next attack using his own thoughts as my guide. Though he was fast I was waiting for him every time he moved. His frustration only made him move quicker, I could barely keep up, but the extra edge I had kept me one step ahead of him, even if I was slowing down as he just kept getting faster.  
  
He slashed at me, catching my arm. Four thin red lines appeared on my arm. Blood trickled out, being thrown from my arm as I twirled to block another strike. I felt excitement, hunger bordering on bloodlust, but it was distant. It gave me an idea.  
  
Swinging the scythe I made the Boss back up a step. "You don't have enough strength, I can feeling it waning." The Boss hissed at my accusation. "No worries, though, so is mine. But hey, least I got blood." The blood on my arm had pooled at my elbow, dripping slowly to the ground. A drop was filling, growing heavy as it stretched towards the floor, then it stopped, pulling itself back to my elbow as the blood began to recede. I felt the scratches begin to mend, the blood being pulled back inside of me as I healed. But I was healing slow. Not showing how worried that made me I plastered a smirk to my face, the Boss didn't try to see through it.  
  
Then the worse happened.  
  
Zeke and Alucard stepped in. They were actually working together as they tackled the Boss. My eyes widened. What the hell were they thinking? I didn't need their help. I couldn't die, they could!  
  
The Boss started laughing as the two attacked him. He fended them off with ease, and I just stood their gapping at the stupidity of the situation. Every punch and kick Zeke or Alucard made got them no where. It was utterly pointless.  
  
"Stop!" I yelled. No one listened.  
  
Grumbling to myself I sprinted up to them, stealing the Boss's speed so that he didn't see me approach. I grabbed Zeke's shirt, pulling him away from the fight. Startled he wasn't sure of what to do.  
  
"This isn't your fight!" I growled. He looked like he would argue. "Trust me, damn it. No vampires killed me before, I can do this. I know how to do this." He hadn't given up his need to argue, but my stare stopped him. He looked into my too serious eyes, and they said everything I needed to.  
  
Slowly Zeke nodded surrender. "I'll get rid of Alucard. If you don't do this I'll kick your ass." He was serious in his kidding, but I knew I wouldn't fail. Once I let go of Zeke's shirt he was gone, running off to tackle Alucard, pulling him away from the fight and starting their own brawl.  
  
The Boss was about to follow when I yelled "Hey!" he turned to me. "It's my blood you want, so come'n get it." With that said we both let Zeke and Alucard's shouts melt into nothing.  
  
Boss actually paused a moment, as if considering the idea. I grinned a tawnt, twirling the scythe again, trying to keep him from thinking too hard. He watched the scythe carefully, thinking too hard for my liking. I had the feeling he would ruin everything, change everything.  
  
Then he charged and my fears vanished.  
  
I dodged his hands, raising my scythe when needed. Whenever he broke through my defenses I got scratched. The blood confused him, early today—had it been today?—it hadn't phased him. Had I really made him use so much energy that he couldn't think strait? It was possible, he probably didn't have to mess with this world often. I'd guess that it wasn't easy for him. I had also lost a lot of energy, a lot of his energy. Predicting him was getting harder, more and more scratches were slipping through. And I wasn't healing quick enough. Drops of blood dripped off of me, the wounds taking their time. The Boss controlled the magic in this world. He was running out of magic. So was I.  
  
Then he grabbed my arm, the one holding my scythe. I tried to tug free, but his grasp only tightened. I heard bones snap. Screaming I fought not to drop the scythe. I succeeded, but the Boss wasn't letting go. Instead he used his free hand to cut at my stomach, leaving thick gashes behind. I screamed again.  
  
Faintly I heard a voice cry out my name. A second one echoed it. I couldn't focus on them, all my attention was devoted to the skelital grin in front of me. The Boss bent his head, his teeth reaching for my neck.  
  
"No," I gasped, pain gripping at me. He couldn't bite me, not yet.  
  
But my power was fading. I was aware of my connection to the Boss and how it was about to snap. In seconds I'd be back to normal, my version of normal, at least. Panic gripped me, wasting seconds. "Not yet" I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut I calmed myself a little, forcing myself to think. "Not quite yet."  
  
At that moment I made a choice. I plunged my mind into the Boss's, forcing myself into that madness for some key out of this. He wasn't thinking like a human did, he was all impulse. Memories from his life, of his knowledge, were stored elsewhere, leaving only the most recent events available for me to see. I didn't think it would be enough, but then I saw it.  
  
My eyes opened and I felt teeth on my neck, no yet piercing my skin. My hand reached out, puttin my palm flat on the cold lifeless chest. His tounge flickered over my skin, making me shudder. He chuckled.  
  
Gathering my strength I didn't wait to relax, there wasn't time. Instead I grabbed the Boss's power and mimicked it.  
  
"Fly." I whispered, putting all my power into that one word. Energy flared from the Boss, to me, through my body, then out through my hand, concentrating it all on one movement, one power, that sent the Boss soaring. He let go of my wrist with a scream of rage. Before he disappeared into the darkness. I didn't know where he was, didn't hear him land. I couldn't feel anything. I was just me. It felt lonely, empty.  
  
And really, really, good.  
  
I took the moment to switch the scythe to my other hadn't while backing up, keeping an eye open for the Boss. Would I be able to see him? Would I be ready? Against my will I began to shiver.  
  
And then I was the one flying. I hadn't seen the Boss approach me, I hadn't seen him hit me, but I was flying backwards so he came from in front.  
  
My landing hurt. I hit a corner, but I couldn't figure out what it could have been. There was nothing in this room, except for the chair. I must have hit the chair, and now it was digging into my back. Groaning I tried to stand up, but I used the wrong hand to lift myself, resulting in me collapsing back down.  
  
So instead I looked around hooping to catch a glimer of the Boss, to see some warning for what would come next. All I could see was Zeke holding Alucard back, stopping him from running to me. the Boss would kill him if he tried. I as sure of it.  
  
Somethign grabbed my chi, pulling it up. The boss was in front of me again, I hadn't seen him come, he was just there. He continued lifting my chin so that it was pulling all of me with it. Not wanting myself lifted by my nexk I scrambled to my feet as the Boss brought my face close to his.  
  
"You're not inside me, wench," He hissed with glee, "You can no longer stop my, no longer fight me." I clutched the scythe in both hands, meeting his eyes as he pulled my closer to him. "Ready to die, slayer?"  
  
"You can't kill me," I said, my voice not steady enough for my liking.  
  
The Boss sensed my unease. "You have been inside my mind, and I looked inside yours, felt your power. You don't have enough left. You will die."  
  
I froze, my body staying perfectly still. Cold gripped my skin, I was cold as death, and as still as the Boss who held me in place. Was he lying? No, I don't think so. But could he be wrong? My wrist was almost healed, I could pull through.  
  
Two words stole that hope. "Die Now." and he bit me.  
  
My body jerked, I couldn't stop it, Just as a gasp was drawn out of my throat. The bite hurt my entire body, tore into me. Was this how it felt to die? I couldn't remember why I wasn't fighting. There had been a reason why I let him bite me, why I knew he couldn't kill me, couldn't drain my blood.  
  
There was a moment of please, when again I was connected to the Boss, but this time only through blood. He was drinking mine, the sweet taste flowin down his throat. He'd never tasted it this good before.  
  
Or was that because it had been so long? No, there was something different, something speacial about this blood.  
  
I hurt.  
  
The Boss didn't know why I'd stopped bleeding. He didn't understand why it hurt to keep his teeth inside of me. And how was I healing? I was drained, I had nothing left.  
  
"How?" he gasped.  
  
And I remembered. "Because you're not dead yet." He pulled away from my neck, surprised and confused, then I stabbed him.  
  
His mouth opened in a small "O" as he tried to pull away. He looked down at the handle of the scythe, just another weapon, a stake, shoved right into his heart. I smiled softly, waiting for him to burst into dust.  
  
He pushed my back and I fell into his thrown. I sat as he stumbled back, watching me with astonishment as the skin around his hand began to desolve into dust. The side of his mouth twitched up, forming the tiniest of smiles. But the smile grew as his body began to dust. Soon he was laughing, honest, real laughter.  
  
He began to reform, to piece the dust back together as his body returned. My eyes wen wide and I quoted, "How?" my voice trailed off. The Boss laughed harder.  
  
"Are we now equals?" He asked joyously. "Neither of us an die, how will this end?"  
  
I was still stuck gapping. That annoyed me, he had recovered quicker from his shock than I had. "How did... why aren't..." I couldn't finish a question, they just bounced around in my head.  
  
His smile was honest, no grin, no evil, no tricks. Just a good, dare I say pleasant, smile. Granted skeletons never look pleasant, and always are a little twisted. So while he sat there all happy and cheerful, I didn't have to deal with him actually looking it.  
  
"My world exists through e. I exist through my world. When one is here, so is the other." The Boss announced.  
  
I frowned, confused. "But if I kill you... it's gone..." I stumbled through my logic, and it wasn't adding u p. Lucky for me the Boss was healing slowly. Dust isn't easy to put back together. My thoughts worked quicker. "I have to destroy this world, and you. But... this world runs off of you..."  
  
My thoughts drove my mind into a frenzy. Nothing in the world around me worked itself into my brain. Nothing but the Boss's laughter. That ground into my brain, interrupting my thoughts and shattering the silence of the room. I decided to think out loud to counter the noise the strangled every thought I had.  
  
"There's got to be something to destroy this place. Something the world revolves around. There's you... You support it, but what supports you ?" I sighed, not sure. "It has to always be here. It has to be important, probably in the center of everything, the center of your world, this room..." I looked at the Boss as realization sparked, and his laughter cut short as his body finished its regeneration. My grip on the scythe tightened. He knew I knew.  
  
I tried to get quickly to my feet, for some sort of defense. It was pointless. The Boss grabbed my shoulders and lifted me. I tried to stab him again, weaken him, he grabbed the scythe, tried to yank it from my grip, but I held on. I would not give that up, it was my last chance, my only weapon. The Boss chuckled at my struggle, but he let me win, I kept the scythe. He grabbed my right arm, twisting me around so I face the chair instead of him.  
  
Not letting go of my arm he leaned his head to my ear, whispering to me. "You will die this time." I shook my head and again he chuckled. "I was so close to him I felt his body shake with his laughter. "Little girl, how will you stop me?" He asked, half serious. He squeezed my arm and I felt the bones strain as he proved his point. He was stronger than me, could hold me here as long as he needed to.  
  
I star4ed at the chair, considering the question. "I can die," I stated. The Boss nodded against my shoulder. "I think I will." I added. His teeth reached again for my neck. I didn't flinch or shudder this time. I wasn't scared. "But you won't kill me." He didn't pause. No, his teeth sunk into my neck. I still didn't move. "You won't kill me," I said again, softer, as I felt him suck the magic out of me.  
  
Closing my eyes I used my free left hand to grip the scythe, my hand closer to the blade than the end of the handle. My body swayed as it weakened. The pain had come, but the Boss ignored it, sucking harder as he forced the blood out of me. There wasn't enough magic to stop him, there wasn't enough power in this room, in this world. I began moving my arm as my eyes lost their focus and the world turned to fuzz. All the power here went to the Boss, I vaguely was aware of feeling his mind, of the thoughts there. The rage was gone, he had the power to keep the magic from me. Even if he pulled away right now I wouldn't heal, I'd bleed to death. I was going to die. Something sharp touched my chest as I considered the thought. I'd die. How long had I wanted that to happen? How often had I thrown myself in death's way just to see if it would work? When did I grow so confident that it would never touch me? That I'd live forever? Wood broke my skin as I considered. The Boss didn't have to bend to bite me. He was barely taller than me, almost my height. Blood trickled down my body and it hurt worse than what the Boss was doing to me. I summoned the last of my strength to move faster, to lean forward, to pull my arm into me.  
  
I screamed as the stake end of the scythe emerged from the Boss's back and his shout followed mine.  
  
He let go of me and I jerked the scythe out of my heart. Gasping I drew in air, but it did no good. There was no magic left for me, nothing left here at all. I couldn't breath air, even as it filled my lungs it meant nothing. My knees buckled as I gripped the scythe, raising it over my head. The Boss screamed for me to stop, but the scythe swung down, I watched it in slow motion. I felt the Boss grab my shoulder, my hand loosened on the scythe, but it still swung. Clawed finger dug into me but I didn't feel it, I couldn't see it. The world was too hazy, there was only a glimpse of red falling down and landing in ebony, digging deep into the darkness... then unleashing a light so bright that for an instant I could see clearly, for an instant the magic washed through me and I was alive, I could see the room, feel the dust blow against my back and scatter.  
  
Then I was blind, and all turned to darkness.  
  
Mwahahaha! I did it! I came out with another piece! Don't hate me for saying it's actually been written for what, 3 to 4 months? I just haven't typed it. slaps forehead I'm such an ass, sorry.  
  
P.S. is she dead? Read the epilogue! 


	23. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
My eyes were burning. Such on odd thing, to be dead and still be hurting.  
  
Wait, was I dead? I blinked, or at least I think I blinked, but there was nothing to see. There wasn't light or darkness, just nothing.  
  
And my eyes were still burning.  
  
"Stop moving else you're going to kill yourself." It was my own voice.  
  
Lucky for me I never listened to my own advice. My hands groped around for something, but all I could feel was the floor beneath me. I was rather certain it was the floor, or the ground. It felt like hard, dry stone, however my arms felt so heavy and my body so tired, that I wasn't sure I was making things out right. In any case I pushed off of it so that I could sit up.  
  
"I said stop moving!"  
  
"Damn it, I must've finally gone crazy. I wouldn't yell at myself like that," I murmured.  
  
There was a sigh, and I could almost picture myself shaking my head in annoyance. It was so like me to say something stupid, and so like me to yell at such a stupid remark. But which one was me? They weren't the same mes. I was starting to confuse myself.  
  
"Elisabeth, just relax for a moment. I didn't go to all this effort just to get myself killed."  
  
I blinked again, trying to see something. "Airaei?" I asked, searching the room for her.  
  
"Ah, you do think. That's good. Maybe you'll be fine after all." I felt something forced into my outstretched hands, but no one around to put it there. I pulled the item close to me and something splashed out, a liquid. "Drink."  
  
I listened, sipping the drink lightly. It was cold, and as I swallowed it a shiver spread through me. But I kept drinking, and the more I drank the clearer things became. The burning in my eyes faded, and my body didn't feel so heavy. Energy spread through me and I felt warm.  
  
"Better?" Airaei asked.  
  
I nodded. "Much, thanks. Where am I?"  
  
There was a pause before Airaei spoke. "My own world. An instant cure to death for you."  
  
"What?" I asked.  
  
"You had to go and be dramatic and get yourself killed. I must say you were almost too far to save. Had I been any slower this magic wouldn't have been enough. But I gathered what strength I could and made a make shift universe here. Pure magic," Airaei explained.  
  
"Oh," I murmured. My body must have fed off it and regrown. "How long have I been here?"  
  
"A week? Maybe longer. You absorbed so much I had to link this world to the vault, steal some of its magic for you. You'd best do something worthwhile with your life to make it worth all my trouble."  
  
I smiled. Airaei seemed made, but I knew she was glad I'd survived. A part of her was in me, and I was glad, too. "So it's all magic? No wonder nothing's here. I mean, I can't see a thing."  
  
I felt something flutter by me, like a gentle wind. Airaei's voice came from a different part of the room. "There isn't much here, surely not much to see..." she murmured, "but you would see it. You would see it if you could."  
  
I frowned, confused. "What?"  
  
Again she sighed, this time sadly. "I couldn't save all of you, and the magic you'd indured didn't want you saved. It attacked you so that you would die, if I hadn't whisked you away your whole body would be mangled and torched. But the light only touched your face," I felt the wind brush my forehead, trickle over my nose. "Your eyes are dead, Elisabeth. You won't see anything."  
  
Again I blinked and my hands went to my face. I didn't feel any scars, there were no marks on me that I could tell. My fingers traced my eyes, and I felt nothing wrong. My eyes were still there. "I can't feel anything..." but I couldn't see, either. Airaei wouldn't lie. The knowledge made my body feel heavy all over again, even the wind that wrapped around me reassuringly held no comfort. "I should be glad..." I started, "I should be glad I'm not dead, right? I mean, that light could destroy everything in the room, right? The Boss would have suffered, too, and everyone..." Fear gripped me. "Alucard? Zeke?" could they be dead?  
  
"Are fine." Airaei assured me. "Different powers freed them. All creatures in the Boss's world were torn out in time. You were too close to the power to be freed, but they had time. Everyone who entered the vault left the way they came in." My body relaxed again.  
  
"Good. At least they are safe. Are they still in Sunnydale?" I asked.  
  
"No, forgive me. I meant they are where they first interred the vault. Dexion is on a small island in the Mediterranean, and your friend Zeke. Where was it.... Seattle I believe?"  
  
Nodding I replied. "So they're both safe."  
  
"Safe as can be expected."  
  
"Where will I be going?" I asked.  
  
"I must return you to Sunnydale, it is the only place available," Airaei said regretfully.  
  
"That's fine," I murmured.  
  
The wind fluttered, blowing about me. "There's no time to wait, I'm sorry but they won't let me use any more magic. I must let you go now."  
  
I smiled to Airaei, "Thank you, for helping me."  
  
A warm breeze touched my face, but then it was gone, and the floor beneath me began to bend. As if it turned to mush I began to sink into it, then it was gone all together and I was falling, but slowly and controlled. I didn't gain speed as I traveled, but I grew tired, so tired that I knew it wasn't natural. However I wasn't afraid of it and I let myself drift off to sleep.  
  
I dreamt of an explosion. Of Sunnydale being destroyed and the Slayers escaping. I dreamt of a creator in place of the city with the hot sun shining down on it. I dreamt of Zeke in his apartment taking a nap on his couch while a CD played in the background. Then I saw Alucard in a plane, his window pulled down to block out a sunrise as he flew west. I knew he'd beat me back to Sunnydale. When I arrived, he'd be waiting.  
  
I smiled in my sleep as I looked at the world. One last time.  
  
For the thankyous:  
  
Ana: I like it too, though I was tempted not to add the prologue and let everyone think her dead because I don't like this part so much. But it's done!  
  
Soniadg: I'll read your story! Scout's honor. Just haven't been on fanfic much. Sorry for the wait, hope it was worth it. I don't think I did anything stupid to Zeke. He's still alive! . (Here that Maude! I wasn't lying when I said I wouldn't kill him)  
  
Innogen: All night? Wow, I wouldn't have done that. Thanks . I love the british accent, it's on the top five best accent lists, or it should be. Thanks for the review!  
  
Beyond the silence: . Yeah, you're just cool. Thanks for reviewing the whole story, huggles you sorry if you have to reread it again.  
  
Mikkifavo: It ended! It did! points to ending Yeah, I don't write much with normal charectors, only because I screw them up so badly. So I make up my own and I don't screw 'em up at all! .  
  
Soniadg: Todd didn't have a romance with Liz because... well... I didn't want it to go that way. I think we knew they kinda liked each other a bit, but Liz was more focused on alucard and Todd just wasn't the person to push it.  
  
Ninii: huggles you too I love your reviews! You're wonderful.  
  
Maude: .  
  
okay, crappy thank yous, I know, but I'm tired now, just typed about ten pages. looks tired Sorry for the delay. There were actually Leggett reasons for some of it. School, chores, clubs, sports, work, cars, friends, life in general. Got into a fight yesterday though, (not physical) and I got pissed, and I wondered what would make me feel better, and I realized finishing this story would feel pretty damn good. So I did it. And I'm happy. dances all happily And I'm just rambling so I'll let you go.  
  
Questions? Comments? Funny stories? Till next time!  
  
Rave 


	24. Author's Note

Hey, Author's note is just to thank all the reviewers after they review (if you just did check back in a day or two and I may have updated this) and talk about this story/upcoming ones.

Maude: huggles LOL, yeah, I beat you dances happily it shouldn't have taken me so long. The next one will be longer, but I might buy my lap top this weekend. Seriously. I'm getting a 500 dollar paycheck, and I have 300 in the bank. I just might buy it. gets really excited. 

Jeannie: I love it how you got all the way to chapter 5 and didn't say one word about the story. I'll assume you liked it because you punished yourself that long to get there. Maybe next time you review you can mention it? Grammar is a work in progress, and complaining won't change anything, but giving me feed back would help me with later stories.

Beyondthesilence: I was hoping you'd review . Wanna know something funny? I saw the last matrix for the first time after I finished the story. I didn't even know he was blind until then. slaps forhead and I cussed myself out for like an hour. shakes fist at Neo Stupid person ruining my ending!!! Meh, she's blind in case there's a sequel (hint hint). Good luck on your stories though! Thanks for reviewing!

Beyondthesilence (again): Not daredevil so much as... hmm... well, she can't see anything. None of that super hearing crap. Closer to the matrix I suppose. crap I hope the next is as good, And if you're reading my other stuff.... :sweat: I know it's not as good. I go back and read them every so often, it's good for a laugh. You can definitely see how I've been getting better.

That's all for now.

Too bad I couldn't throw Oz into the story... Someone asked me to... Maybe I'll be able to use him in a later story... (hint hint) But I'm worried I'd really screw him up. T.T


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